Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Overview
Posted in Poker on 01/09/2008 10:55 am by Izaiah
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated initially, after a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi low offers an amazing array of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals battling for the high hand, along with many battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi-low.