Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 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 might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly 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 put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at first, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high, and many trying for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.