Omaha Hi/Low: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems complex at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting range of betting choices and because you have numerous individuals trying for the high, and several trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.
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