Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants often get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high, and several battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.