Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at the outset, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an amazing range of betting options and seeing that you have several players trying for the high hand, and many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha Hi-Lo.