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Omaha Hi/Low: Fundamental Overview

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low 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, etc. It is the same notion in just about all poker games.

The lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.

It may seem complex initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an amazing collection of betting choices and because you have numerous players battling for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.

Posted in Poker.


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