Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several individuals trying for the high, and several trying for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.
