Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. 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 value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an amazing array of betting choices and because you have many individuals trying for the high hand, and many shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
