Omaha Hi Low: General Summary

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players often get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in just about every poker game.

A low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, 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 possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at the start, following a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an amazing range of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high hand, as well as several trying for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.

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