Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored 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 obscure variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many 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 precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming array of betting options and seeing that you have numerous players battling for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
