Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just 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 approach in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really 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 don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of betting possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.