All About Omaha
Individuals who enjoy the game of Omaha frequently find they are pulled to the largely well-loved game of Omaha hi/low. For players who are knowledgeable with hi/lo poker variations, Omaha hi/lo will prove to be easy to understand. The basic rules of the game follow the game of Omaha and if you are familiar with five Card Stud hi low, the hi-low variant of Omaha is similar to the Stud game style.
Just like Omaha and hold’em, Omaha hi-low is a community card game which means there are five community cards used to help all players make the greatest possible poker hand. The game starts with the putting of both the large and small blinds. The croupier then deals each player 4 "hole" cards with the faces hidden. Wagering round number one starts clockwise from the large blind. Following the initial round of betting happens, the dealer deals 3 cards on the flop to the community. These cards are dealt face up in the center of the table.
Following the flop, a further round of wagering happens and the turn card is then given out to the community (face up) followed by another round of betting, raising, calling, checking and dropping out. The final card handed to the community is called the river card (dealt face up aswell) and a finishing round of betting follows with a showdown taking place to figure out who the winner(s) of the pot is/are.
Deciding a winner in any hi low game is somewhat distinctive than in most poker games. Each pot has two winners. half of the money will go to the gambler with the best low hand and half of the money will be cut to the individual with the biggest high hand. If the pot doesn’t have a winning low hand because of qualification, then the high hand takes the whole pot.
In Omaha hi low, the low hand must qualify for a low hand with an eight or lower. If hands do not qualify, then the high hand wins the pot and in the case of a tie, the money is then divide based on the winning high hand.
This game has a number of variations such as pot limit and NL varieties. In the fixed limit games of Omaha, the most apparent rule is the cap on the number of raises allowed in the hand spanning from 3 to 5 raises depending on the number of gamblers remaining in the game. One noticeable variance in the game is the fact there are regularly two winners. Gamblers accustomed to the hi lo games discover Omaha hi-low quite easy to play and gamblers understand the rules immediately once the first round is played.