Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi low starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, 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 lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at first, following a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting array of betting options and seeing that you have numerous individuals battling for the high hand, and a few battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/low.