Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult 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 invisible game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t 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 smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at first, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming assortment of betting options and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, and a few battling for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.