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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 is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players can get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in almost all poker games.

The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex at first, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play 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 being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, as well as several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi-low.