Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi/low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players can get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could 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 smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting array of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.