Omaha Hi Lo: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complex initially, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha High-Low offers an exciting collection of wagering options and because you have many individuals trying for the high hand, and several battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha High-Low.