Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, 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 put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high hand, along with many shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.
