Omaha Hi Low: Basic Summary
July 16th, 2010 at 8:21
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in just about all poker games.
A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at first, after a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing range of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several players trying for the high hand, along with many trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.