Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being 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 lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi low offers an overwhelming range of betting choices and seeing that you have many individuals battling for the high hand, along with many battling for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.