Omaha Hi Lo: Fundamental Outline
November 29th, 2013 at 3:21
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. 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 variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same notion in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming array of betting options and because you have many individuals battling for the high, along with several shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi/low.