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Omaha Hi Lo: Fundamental Overview

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in nearly every poker game.

A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower 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 available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

While it seems complicated at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base 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 being used at the same time, Omaha hi-low offers an amazing assortment of betting choices and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as many battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.