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 variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

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

A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem complicated initially, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting array of wagering choices and seeing that you have many individuals battling for the high, as well as several trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.