Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 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 might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems difficult initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi-low provides an exciting assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many players trying for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.