Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players can get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to 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 regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at first, after a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming range of betting possibilities and because you have several players shooting for the high, and a few battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.
