Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same notion in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might 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 low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at first, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha High-Low provides an exciting collection of betting possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high, along with many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.