Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in just about every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, 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 lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting range of wagering options and seeing that you have several players battling for the high, and several shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.