Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just 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’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low provides an exciting array of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high hand, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/lo.
