Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi/lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems difficult at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming collection of betting options and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
