Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’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 two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi-low.