Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi low.