08.15
Omaha Hi Low: Fundamental Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems complicated initially, following a few hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi lo provides an exciting collection of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.