Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. 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 presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complicated initially, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming collection of betting choices and seeing that you have many players battling for the high, and many battling for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha hi-low.