Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants often get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.