Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play 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 High-Low provides an overwhelming range of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high hand, along with many trying for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.