Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complex at first, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting collection of betting options and because you have several individuals battling for the high, and many shooting for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi low.