Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an amazing range of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as several trying for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.