Omaha Hi-Low: General Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/lo begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at first, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an amazing collection of betting possibilities and because you have many players shooting for the high hand, as well as several shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi/lo.
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