Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but really 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 put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing range of wagering choices and because you have many players shooting for the high, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/low.