Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants can get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use 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 is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical approach in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems complicated at the start, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties 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 being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several players trying for the high hand, along with many trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.