03
May
Written by Cordell.
Posted in: Poker
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants often get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular 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 is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, 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 lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming range of wagering choices and seeing that you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi low.
Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
