Whether
You're Hi or Low, There's No Place Like Omaha
Texas
Hold’em may be the darling of the poker circuit, but
Omaha Poker is picking up steam as a player favorite.
Similar
to Hold’em, you start
Omaha
with four hole cards instead of two. After the flop,
the turn and the river, you have nine cards to choose
from, making for some wild times at the table. This is
where the biggest difference with Hold’em presents
itself, as you can only play two of the four
hole cards to complete your five-card hand.
While
straight
Omaha
is catching on, Omaha Hi-Lo is a version of the game
that’s quickly outpacing its card-game cousin. The
two games are exactly the same, with one major
exception. A qualifying low hand (five cards eight or
below unpaired) picks up half of the pot.
Some
of the first facts to remember in Omaha Hi-Low: Aces are low
in the lowest hand and high in the highest hand;
Flushes and straights don’t count against the low;
There must be three cards or below on the board for
the possibility of a qualifying low. If there isn’t
a qualifying low hand, the winner with the high hand
takes the entire pot.
The
idea that you can win with both the high and low hand
– scooping the pot – in Omaha Hi-Low is very appealing,
keeping players around for the river and bigger pots.
Of the five cards used in the low hand, an 8 is the
highest card you can use. With flushes and straights
ignored in the low hand, A-2-3-4-5 is the best hand in
Omaha Hi-Low.
Breaking
down your starting hand in Omaha Hi-Low can take a lot of
mental work right off the bat. With two pocket cards
in Hold’em, your next move is fairly clear. With
four pocket cards, it’s a bit more complex and needs
to be coordinated. You want the straights, flushes and
full houses because pairs rarely win. Starting with
four unpaired low cards, the chance of making a low is
49%. If two low cards hit on the flop, the chance for
a low increases to 70%. One low card and it drops to
24%.
Holding
the ace is ideal in Omaha Hi-Low. Because scooping the pot
is the ultimate goal, you need an ace if you want to
win the low hand. The best starting hand, according to
noted poker authority Bill Boston, is A-A-2-3 double
suited, which means the A-2 is suited and the A-3 is
also suited. This combination gives you a shot at the
flush and a straight.
If an ace, two or three drop on the table, you
have the best chance at winning the low hand, too.
For
beginners, Omaha Hi-Low can be very intimidating. For those
starting out, turn up your cards at the showdown
(players showing hands after the betting is done) and
let the dealer check your hand. To evaluate cards,
it’s good to apply what’s called the point-count
system. Each in hand combination is given a value,
then the points are added to figure out the strength
of your hand. There are books and software programs
available that can help break down the numbers.
Complete Rules:
Omaha Poker Rules
Omaha Hi-Low Rules
Omaha Poker Strategy:
Basic Omaha
Poker Strategy
Interested in playing Omaha Poker online?
ThePokerSource recommends Paradise
Poker.
For further reading on Omaha Poker - We recommend the
following Omaha Poker Books:
