Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi/lo starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at first, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an overwhelming range of betting options and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high, as well as a few battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.