12.14
Omaha Hi/Low: General Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When determining 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. Considering that straights and flushes don’t 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 just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high, along with many shooting for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.