Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi lo starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an exciting collection of betting choices and because you have several individuals shooting for the high, along with many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.