Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have 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 get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can 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, etc. It is the same approach in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. 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 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 value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low offers an exciting assortment of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.