Omaha Hi Low: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi lo starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card 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 is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low 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 lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing range of betting options and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, along with many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha hi/low.