Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical notion in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult initially, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting array of wagering choices and because you have several players trying for the high, along with a few trying for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.