05.26
Omaha Hi Lo: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. 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 "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an exciting collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, and several battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
