Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical approach in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi low offers an exciting collection of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, and a few trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.
