Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but really 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 could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of betting choices and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high, and many trying for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.