Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in just about all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
Although it seems complex initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi low provides an amazing collection of betting possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals shooting for the high, along with a few shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
