Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi lo begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of wagering options and because you have several players shooting for the high hand, and many shooting for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.