Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems complicated at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting collection of wagering options and because you have numerous players battling for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.
