Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s 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 irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complicated at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi lo offers an overwhelming collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, and several trying for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.