Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When determining 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. Considering that 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 lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an exciting range of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several players battling for the high, along with a few trying for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.