Poker Strategies

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha hi low begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical notion in almost every poker game.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems difficult at first, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming array of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many individuals shooting for the high, along with many shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.