Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex initially, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low offers an exciting range of wagering choices and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.