Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming range of wagering choices and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as a few battling for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.