Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical approach in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might 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 smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting assortment of betting options and because you have many individuals trying for the high hand, along with several battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.