Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to 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 is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same notion in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not 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 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 complicated at the start, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi-low provides an overwhelming range of wagering choices and because you have many players shooting for the high, along with many trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.