Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but really 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 worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play easily enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, and many trying for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi-low.