Omaha Hi/Low: General Overview
Posted in Omaha on 02/29/2016 12:21 pm by Ayden
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical notion in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being 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 smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players 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 amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals shooting for the high hand, as well as many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.