Omaha Hi/Lo: General Summary
Posted in Poker on 10/02/2015 02:21 pm by Felipe
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of 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 low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at first, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of betting options and because you have many players battling for the high, as well as many trying for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha hi/low.