Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, following a few rounds you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low provides an exciting array of betting options and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, and many battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
This entry was posted on January 30, 2017, 3:25 pm and is filed under Omaha. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.