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 normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out 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 made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems difficult at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an overwhelming range of betting options and seeing that you have numerous players battling for the high, as well as a few trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha High-Low.