Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi low starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s 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 put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult initially, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals 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 assortment of wagering choices and because you have several players trying for the high, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi low.