Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. 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 exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. 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 A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many individuals battling for the high hand, along with a few battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.