Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants often get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same notion in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi low provides an overwhelming range of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high, along with a few battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.
