Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two 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 "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t 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 low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
Although it seems complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an amazing range of betting choices and because you have many players trying for the high hand, along with many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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