Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants get confused. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same notion in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being 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 low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo provides an overwhelming range of wagering choices and because you have numerous individuals battling for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.