Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same approach in almost every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering 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 exciting collection of wagering choices and seeing that you have many players battling for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.