Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could 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’s the very same approach in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being 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 low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi lo offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and because you have many players trying for the high, as well as many shooting for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.