Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in just about all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, 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 made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complicated at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals trying for the high hand, along with several trying for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.