Omaha Hi-Lo: General Outline
December 11th, 2009 at 9:21
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi-low starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, 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 lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low provides an overwhelming array of betting choices and seeing that you have several players battling for the high, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.