Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi-low provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering options and because you have several players trying for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.