Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some players often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 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, etc. It is the very same approach in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, 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 put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at the start, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals shooting for the high hand, and many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.