Omaha Hi-Low: Fundamental Outline
January 13th, 2016 at 5:21
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi/low starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems difficult at the start, following a few hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting collection of betting options and seeing that you have many players battling for the high, as well as many shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi/lo.