Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi-low starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical notion in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming assortment of betting options and because you have several individuals trying for the high, along with several trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.