Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems difficult at the start, following a couple of hands you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an overwhelming array of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players battling for the high, as well as a few trying for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.