Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players 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 number of entrants get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems complex initially, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting assortment of wagering choices and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.