Omaha Hi-Low: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi-low starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical notion in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complex at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi low offers an overwhelming collection of wagering choices and because you have several players shooting for the high hand, and a few battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.
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