Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult initially, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha High-Low provides an overwhelming range of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi-low.