Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved 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 invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can 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 worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting collection of wagering options and because you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.