Omaha Hi Low: Fundamental Summary
Posted in Omaha on 02/09/2016 02:21 pm by Luna
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could 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 every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an amazing assortment of betting options and because you have many players shooting for the high, and many shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha hi/lo.