Poker Tips Poker Tips for Beginners

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have 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 players often get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be every player's hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It's the strongest hand out of everyone's, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in nearly every poker game.

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free's up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might 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 lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

Although it seems complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting range of wagering choices and because you have many individuals shooting for the high, as well as many trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.