Omaha Hi-Low: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s 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 being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not 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 lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex initially, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, along with many battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
