Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, 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 value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at first, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting range of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.