Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants often get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, 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 exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical approach in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest 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 low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult initially, following a few rounds you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an exciting array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high, and a few battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha High-Low.