Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
While it seems difficult at the start, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi/low provides an exciting range of wagering options and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/low.