Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at first, following a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an amazing range of betting options and because you have many players trying for the high, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
