Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low offers an overwhelming array of betting options and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.