Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants get confused. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might 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 every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at first, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing range of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals battling for the high, along with many battling for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.