02.11
Omaha Hi/Low: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not 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 low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many individuals battling for the high, and several battling for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.