Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Summary

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha hi lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in just about every poker game.

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, 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 lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complicated at the outset, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi lo offers an overwhelming range of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high, as well as several shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha High-Low.