Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Overview
Posted in Poker on 01/31/2020 08:25 am by Shelby
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly 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, etc. It’s the very same approach in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at first, after a few rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing range of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high, and a few battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi lo.