Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Outline
Posted in Omaha on 09/10/2022 11:25 am by Luna
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi/lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems complex at first, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the base nuances of play with ease. 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 offers an exciting range of betting possibilities and because you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, along with many battling for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.