Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi/low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can 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, etc. It’s the same concept in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. 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 value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.
This entry was posted on August 2, 2017, 4:25 pm and is filed under Omaha. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.