Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult initially, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming array of wagering choices and because you have numerous players trying for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.