Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest value 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 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated initially, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering choices and because you have several players trying for the high, as well as several trying for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
