Omaha Hi/Low: Basic Overview

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

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

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low offers an amazing collection of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/lo.