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 regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
While it seems difficult at first, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming range of betting options and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, and a few trying for the low. 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.
