Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi/low begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no 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 how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at the start, after a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and seeing that you have several players trying for the high hand, and several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.