Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest 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 lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, following a few rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi lo offers an amazing array of betting possibilities and because you have many players battling for the high, and a few trying for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha hi/lo.