Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi/low starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s 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 made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at first, after a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as 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 offers an amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, and many trying for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.