Omaha

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many players get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly all poker games.

The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing collection of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, and many shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.