Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi-low starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst 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 takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi low.