Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored 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 obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi lo begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since 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 once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of betting possibilities and because you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, along with a few battling for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha High-Low.