Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing array of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high hand, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi-low.