Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical notion in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. 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 high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering 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/8 provides an amazing assortment of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high hand, and many shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.