Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low provides an overwhelming range of wagering options and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high, as well as many trying for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.