Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly 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 same notion in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, following a few hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and because you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as several shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.
