Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players can get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same approach in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five 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 high hand takes the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as 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 range of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.