Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same notion in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at first, following a few hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of play simply enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi lo provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and because you have numerous players trying for the high hand, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.