Poker Strategies

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha hi-low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of players get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

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

A low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem complicated at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing range of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, along with several trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.