Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then 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 the point where a number of players often get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best 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 nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at first, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.