Omaha Hi-Lo: General Overview

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in nearly every poker game.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.

Although it seems difficult at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha High-Low provides an amazing assortment of betting options and seeing that you have several players battling for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.

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