Omaha Hi/Lo: General Summary


Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so quickly.

Omaha hi low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in just about all poker games.

The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s 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 being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

While it seems difficult initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting collection of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high, and a few battling for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.

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