Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi-low begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal 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’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. 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 smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low offers an exciting assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, along with many shooting for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.