Learning Poker Tricks
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 variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi-low starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants can get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical approach in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha hi low.