Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players can get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complicated initially, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/lo provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering options and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.