Omaha Hi Low: Basic Overview
Posted in Omaha on 10/03/2015 12:21 am by Ayden
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as 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 amazing collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.