Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants get flustered. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting range of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, and many battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
