Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/lo starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out 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 made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting collection of betting choices and seeing that you have many players trying for the high hand, along with several shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.
