Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Outline


Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of entrants often get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

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

A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

Although it seems complicated at first, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an amazing collection of betting possibilities and because you have numerous players battling for the high hand, as well as many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi-low.

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