Poker Strategies

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in just about all poker games.

A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complex at first, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi lo provides an amazing array of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many players shooting for the high hand, and several battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.