Omaha Strategy

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha hi/low begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where some players can get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in just about every poker game.

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

Although it seems complex at first, following a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting assortment of wagering options and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.