Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/lo starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. 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 number of entrants get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical approach in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a few hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting range of betting choices and because you have several players shooting for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi lo.