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Omaha Hi Lo: Fundamental Summary

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some players get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly all poker games.

A lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem 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 players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing assortment of betting options and because you have many players shooting for the high hand, along with a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.

 

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