Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. 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’s the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, after a few hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low provides an exciting range of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several 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 worth your time to play Omaha High-Low.
