Omaha

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha hi-low begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of players often get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in just about all poker games.

A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. 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. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

While it seems difficult at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing collection of betting options and because you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, and a few trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.