Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing range of betting options and owing to the fact that you have several individuals shooting for the high, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.