Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complex at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high, as well as a few trying for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.