Omaha Information » Blog Archive » Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Overview

 

Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Overview

[ English ]

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical notion in nearly every poker game.

A low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at the outset, following a few hands 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 since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming range of wagering choices and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, and many shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.