Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/lo begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. 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 being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting range of wagering choices and because you have numerous players shooting for the high, along with many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.