The Steel Wheel

In Omaha, the best possible hand is a five high straight flush, or the so-called "Steel Wheel".  This hand is superior even to the Royal Flush due to the fact that it is the best possible low hand as well as the nut high hand (assuming there is not also a royal flush on the board... like a board A/2/3/10/J, where you have the 4/5 suited in your hand, and another player has the Q/K suited).  That would be a very rare hand indeed.  You do not always hog the pot as other low card combinations can cause a chop pot on the low, but you would have the high to yourself.  Below is a hand I had today that illustrates this.

As you can see, the player two to my left also flopped the wheel, while the other player turned it.  As first action I was betting while they were both raising and re-raising.  We capped it on two streets.  The only better thing would have been another player with a flush joining in on the action.  I was never going to get less than a half pot plus a 1/3 share of the low.  Every time they raised they lost money.

I really do love Omaha and am planning to play a lot of it in Vegas next week.