Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi/lo begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming range of betting choices and because you have many players trying for the high hand, and many battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi lo.