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Omaha Hi Low: General Outline
March 14th, 2016 by Leilani

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly all poker games.

A lower hand is more complex, 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 can be put together, with the lowest value 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 lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem difficult at the start, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting array of betting options and because you have many players battling for the high hand, and a few battling for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.


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