Omaha Hi/Low: Fundamental Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal 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 normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players can get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same notion in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst 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 lower hand is any five 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 presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of betting possibilities and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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