Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi/lo starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest 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 does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting range of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha hi/lo.