Omaha Hi/Lo: General Overview
Posted in Omaha on 09/28/2015 12:21 pm by Fernanda
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult initially, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi-low provides an amazing assortment of wagering choices and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.