Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly three cards on 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 "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at first, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering 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 overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high, and many trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
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