Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi/low begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional 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 using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an exciting collection of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.