Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
While it seems complex initially, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting range of betting options and because you have several players shooting for the high, and several trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.