Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Overview
Posted in Poker on 06/15/2019 09:25 pm by Marley
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low 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.
It may seem complex at first, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high hand, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.