Omaha Hi-Low: Fundamental Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming array of wagering options and because you have many players trying for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/low.
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