Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in just about all poker games.
A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t 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 lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the start, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi low offers an overwhelming assortment of betting options and because you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha hi low.