Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants get confused. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical notion in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, and several shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha hi/low.
