Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being 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 five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting collection of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha hi lo.
