Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players often get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the start, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming collection of betting options and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, and several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.