Poker Secrets

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some entrants can get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in almost every poker game.

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

Although it seems complex at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing collection of betting options and seeing that you have numerous individuals battling for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha High-Low.