Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action 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 just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants can get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost all poker games.
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 worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and seeing that you have many individuals battling for the high, along with many shooting for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.