Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult at first, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low offers an amazing range of betting choices and seeing that you have many individuals battling for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi-low.
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