Over the past week I have grown a great fondness for the poker game Omaha Hi/Lo. The game plays very similar to Texas Hold Em with a few subtle, and at the same time complex changes.
The similarities revolve around the mechanics of the gameplay and betting while the type of hands and draws played make up the complexities.
There are two different types of Omaha that I have seen, a Hi only version and a Hi/Lo version. The Hi/Lo version is the one I play since it tends to be more fun and generate more action. In the Hi/Lo version, the high hand and the low hand splits that pot at the end of the hand. For a low hand to qualify, it must be made up of 5 cards (3 on the board and 2 in a persons hand) that are all less then 8. The best low hand (and often the best high hand as well) is A-2-3-4-5. This is known as the "Wheel" since A-5 is the lowest possible straight and it also acts as a straight for a high hand.
The basics rules of the game are as follows. Each person receives 4 hole cards. Hole cards are hidden cards. There is a round of betting and like in Texas Hold Em there ar ethe blinds, sometimes an ante and the dealer position moves clockwise at the beginning of each new deal. Once the betting is closed out 3 cards are dealt in the middle. This is known as the flop. A round of betting occurs and once finished the turn card (4th card) is revealed. Another round of betting ensues and when the betting is finished the 5th and final card (the river) is flipped over. Then there is one final round of betting and any players still left in the hand reveal their cards.
This game shares several similarites to Texas Hold Em with the two following rule changes offering the differences that make things interesting:
1 - When creating their best 5 card hand(s) the player "Must" use two of their four hole cards.
2 - When creating their best 5 card hnad(s) the player "Must" use three cards from the board.
In Hi/Lo, since you have to make two different 5 card hands you can use the same cards for both your low hand and you high hand.
If you need to learn more, read the article in Super System 2 as it will give you a great deal of valuable information.
The first time I played Omaha, along with probably 90% of beginers was totally by accident. I was trying to signup for a Texas Hold Em tournament when I clicked on the Omaha Tournament by mistake. By the time I was dealt my first hand and noticed I had 4 cards instead of my expected two, I knew I was in trouble. I quickly looked up the rules and tried to figure out the best way to play. I had a basic understanding of the game but I figured I had all but lost my entry fee.
By the time the smoke cleared I finished 3rd out of a field of nearly 100. I know I got very lucky one time but for the rest of the time I just focused on making the low and sometimes pulled off the high as well. I tried my luck at the game a few other times but never seemed to get anywhere so I gave it up, until now that is. Whenever I played HORSE I used that time to work on my Omaha Hi/Lo game as well.
On a ride home I read through the Omaha article in Super System 2 and I became very interested. I figured I'd give it another shot. Ever since I have really started taking a shine to the game. The main reason I feel is because it seems like Omaha rewards proper strategy more then Texas Hold Em. Patient players who play the right starting cards tend to do very well and when a person plays too many starting hands their stack seems to suffer. There is still luck and bad beats but it seems to be a lot more rare then in Texas Hold Em.
The main starting hand rule is: If you can't scoop the pot, there is no sense in playing the hand.
