Omaha Hi/Low: Basic Overview
Posted in Omaha on 02/06/2016 09:21 am by Fernanda
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might 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, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. 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 do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing array of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.