Omaha Hi-Lo: General Outline


Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants can get confused. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in nearly all poker games.

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem difficult at the start, following a few rounds you will be able to get the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering options and because you have several players shooting for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.

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