Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants can get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in just about all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. 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 worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.