Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 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 "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi low offers an amazing assortment of wagering choices and because you have several players battling for the high, and many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.