Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi/lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting range of wagering possibilities and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, along with many trying for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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