Omaha Hi/Low: Fundamental Outline

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in almost every poker game.

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.

Although it seems difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.