Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/lo begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many players shooting for the high hand, and several shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.