All About Omaha
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of 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 lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, following a few hands you will be able to get the base nuances of the game easily enough. 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 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of wagering options and because you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.