Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at first, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an amazing collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, along with several battling for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi low.