Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
While it seems complex initially, after a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha High-Low provides an exciting array of wagering choices and because you have several individuals trying for the high, as well as a few shooting 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 compete in Omaha/8.
