Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi lo starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an exciting array of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, and several trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.