Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at first, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play simply enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi lo offers an exciting collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, and several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.
