Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. 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 irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing assortment of betting options and because you have many individuals trying for the high, and many shooting for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.
