Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two 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 possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, 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 worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. 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.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances 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 being used at once, Omaha High-Low offers an amazing range of betting choices and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.