Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems complicated at first, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an exciting array of betting possibilities and because you have several players trying for the high hand, and a few trying for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.