Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same notion in just about every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at the outset, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting collection of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.