Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s 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 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 five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems complex at first, following a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming array of betting options and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, along with several trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha hi/lo.