Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical notion in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing array of betting options and because you have many players shooting for the high, and many shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.