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 game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players can get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, after a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as a few battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.
Comments