Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi/low starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely 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 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at first, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an exciting collection of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals battling for the high, along with a few battling 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.
