Omaha Hi/Lo: Fundamental Summary


Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could 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 every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem complex initially, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an amazing array of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, and several trying for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.

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