Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming range of wagering options and seeing that you have numerous players battling for the high, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha hi lo.