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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly all poker games.
The lower 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 can be made, with the worst 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 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of betting choices and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high, and a few trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi-low.
