Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi low starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players get flustered. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complex initially, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an amazing range of betting options and because you have many players shooting for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha Hi-Lo.
