Omaha Hi Lo: Fundamental Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players can get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to 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 hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in just about every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, 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 lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of wagering options and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, along with a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.
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