Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing collection of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, along with a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.