Poker Strategies

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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 variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in nearly all poker games.

The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at the start, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing range of betting options and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, as well as several shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.