Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players can get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire 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 people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.