Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same notion in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being 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 five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming assortment of betting choices and because you have many players trying for the high hand, and several trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.