Omaha Hi Low: Fundamental Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi-low begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants can get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult initially, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting array of betting options and because you have numerous players trying for the high, as well as a few trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/lo.
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