Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants can get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical notion in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
While it seems complex initially, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of betting choices and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high, along with a few shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.