Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi-low provides an amazing array of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.