Omaha Hi-Low: General Outline
by Ali on January 18th, 2016
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players often get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem difficult initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of betting choices and because you have several individuals trying for the high, as well as several shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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