Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi-low offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering options and because you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, and several battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/low.
