Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants can get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 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 could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in just about every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an overwhelming collection of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi-low.
