Poker Information Poker Information for Beginners

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants often get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be every player's hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It's the strongest possible hand out of every player's, it doesn't matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly every poker game.

A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free's up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don't 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. Seeing as straights and flushes don't count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high, and several shooting for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it's not a waste of your time to play Omaha High-Low.