Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players can get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting collection of wagering choices and seeing that you have several individuals shooting for the high hand, and many trying for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.