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 is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where 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 gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst 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 possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an amazing collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, and a few trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
