Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several individuals shooting for the high, along with several trying for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.