Omaha Hi/Low: Basic Outline
Posted in Poker on 01/02/2010 12:22 am by Marcus
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems complicated initially, after a few rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting collection of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several individuals shooting for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.