Omaha Hi Low: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi low begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower 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.
It may seem difficult at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting array of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several individuals battling for the high, along with many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
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