Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi/lo starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst 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 possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
While it seems difficult initially, after a few rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi low provides an amazing array of wagering choices and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, as well as a few shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.