Omaha Hi/Lo: Fundamental Outline
Posted in Omaha on 05/15/2018 08:25 am by Fernanda
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card 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 how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being 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 lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at first, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting range of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high hand, as well as a few shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha Hi-Lo.