Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high hand, along with several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.