Omaha Hi Lo: Fundamental Outline

[ English ]

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in just about all poker games.

A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex at first, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi low provides an exciting range of betting options and seeing that you have numerous individuals battling for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.