Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a few hands you will be able to get the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming array of betting options and owing to the fact that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, and a few trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/lo.
