Omaha Hi/Low: Fundamental Outline


[ English ]

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It’s 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 game, has grown in popularity so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many players often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in almost every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

Although it seems difficult at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players battling for the high hand, and many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/low.

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