Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high 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 is the same approach in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and seeing that you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha High-Low.