Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low provides an amazing assortment of wagering options and because you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.