Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
While it seems complex at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi lo offers an exciting array of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha High-Low.
This entry was posted on November 12, 2017, 11:25 am 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.