Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi low begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. 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 approach in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but really 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 value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at first, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high, and many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.