Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players 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 put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing range of betting options and owing to the fact that you have many individuals trying for the high, and many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/low.
This entry was posted on January 27, 2016, 10:21 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.