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 regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at the outset, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting collection of wagering options and seeing that you have several individuals battling for the high, as well as many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.