Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers 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 Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No 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 exactly what it sounds like. 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 concept in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems difficult at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi low provides an exciting assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high, and many trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.