Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just 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 identical approach in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complicated initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing array of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several individuals trying for the high, and a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.