Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi-low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an amazing array of wagering possibilities and because you have many individuals battling for the high, and many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha hi/low.
