Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complicated initially, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an exciting range of betting choices and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, along with several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/low.