Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting collection of wagering choices and because you have many individuals trying for the high hand, along with a few battling for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
