Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants get confused. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in almost every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, and several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.