Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, an additional 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 make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants can get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have individuals betting 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 hi/low provides an amazing array of betting options and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high, along with many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
