Omaha Hi-Lo: General Outline

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha hi/low begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in nearly every poker game.

A low hand is more complicated, but really 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 made, with the worst 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 smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.

Although it seems complicated at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, and many trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.