Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi low offers an overwhelming array of wagering choices and seeing that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi/lo.