Omaha Hi Low: General Outline
Posted in Poker on 07/21/2008 05:26 pm by Felipe
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi/low starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players can get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 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 best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical approach in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 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.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an exciting range of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high, and a few trying for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.