Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants often get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi lo offers an amazing array of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, and several trying for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.