Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just 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 is the same concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/lo provides an overwhelming range of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals battling for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.