Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants can get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
While it seems complicated at the start, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting array of wagering choices and because you have several players trying for the high, and several battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.