Omaha Hi-Low: General Overview
Posted in Poker on 04/21/2016 01:21 pm by Felipe
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems complex at first, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high, along with a few shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.