Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
While it seems complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high, along with a few shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.