Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi lo begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants can get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. 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 higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems complicated at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting range of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha hi lo.