Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Summary

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha hi/lo begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in nearly every poker game.

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem difficult initially, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha High-Low offers an amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several players battling for the high hand, along with several trying for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.