Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the worst being 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 eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming collection of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high hand, as well as many trying for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha hi/low.