Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi-low begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers 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 number of entrants often get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in just about all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t 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 smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low offers an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and because you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, along with several shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.
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