Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants can get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same notion in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low provides an exciting range of betting options and because you have numerous players trying for the high, along with several battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.