Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher 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 is the same concept in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting array of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have many individuals trying for the high, and many shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.
This entry was posted on March 15, 2022, 1:25 pm 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.