Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players can get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When determining 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 made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems complex at first, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of betting options and because you have numerous players trying for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.