Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. 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 irrelevant game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi/lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complex at first, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi low provides an overwhelming array of betting options and because you have several players trying for the high, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
