Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could 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 smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi-low offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering choices and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high, along with a few shooting for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.
