Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical approach in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being made up of 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting collection of betting options and seeing that you have numerous individuals trying for the high, as well as many trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.