Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize exactly three cards on 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 "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same approach in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be able to get the base nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming array of betting options and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high hand, along with a few battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.