Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Overview

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of entrants get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

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

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being 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 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.

It may seem difficult at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing array of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals battling for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.

  1. No comments yet.

  1. No trackbacks yet.

You must be logged in to post a comment.