Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can 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 low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an amazing array of wagering choices and seeing that you have several individuals battling for the high, and many trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.