Omaha Hi/Low: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/low begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not 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 just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at first, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of betting choices and seeing that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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