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Omaha Hi/Low: General Summary

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 play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in nearly all poker games.

A low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low 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’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems difficult at the start, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low offers an exciting collection of betting options and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high, and many battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.