Omaha Hi/Lo: Fundamental Overview
Tuesday, 13. February 2024
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, after a few rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo offers an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi lo.
Posted in Omaha by Brennen