Omaha Hi-Lo: General Summary
Posted in Omaha on 07/04/2017 10:25 pm by Luna
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins 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 complicated at the start, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo provides an overwhelming array of betting possibilities and because you have numerous individuals battling for the high, and many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.