Omaha Hi/Lo: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point 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 where many players can get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could 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 lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complex at first, after a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an amazing assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, and several shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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