Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get flustered. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult initially, after a few rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many players trying for the high hand, along with several shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.
This entry was posted on December 27, 2017, 9:25 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.