Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high, along with several trying for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.