Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex at first, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing collection of wagering choices and because you have many players battling for the high, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi lo.