Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. 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 whole pot.
While it seems difficult initially, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of betting options and seeing that you have several players battling for the high, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
This entry was posted on September 3, 2020, 5:25 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.