06.08
Omaha Hi/Low: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players often get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, where 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, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems difficult initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/lo offers an exciting collection of wagering options and seeing that you have many players trying for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.