Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Seeing as 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 hi low provides an amazing assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high hand, and several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.
