Omaha

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out 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. One more round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.

Although it seems difficult initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming array of betting choices and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, along with a few trying for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.