Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi lo begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players often get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. 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 just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t 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 lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at first, following a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming array of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high, along with several battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha High-Low.