Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use precisely 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 could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an amazing assortment of betting possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha Hi-Lo.