Omaha Hi-Low: Basic Overview
Tuesday, 22. March 2016
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/low begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing range of betting options and seeing that you have many players battling for the high, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
Posted in Poker by Winston