Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants often get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could 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 smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complex at first, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play simply enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming range of wagering choices and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.