Poker Secrets

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same notion in just about all poker games.

The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

Although it seems difficult at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of wagering options and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, along with many battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.