Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing collection of wagering choices and because you have several players trying for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha High-Low.