Omaha Hi-Low: General Outline
Posted in Poker on 04/01/2019 03:25 am by Izaiah
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on 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 A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
While it seems difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi-low offers an overwhelming collection of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.