Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi-low starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi-low provides an overwhelming range of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high, and many shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.