Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi-low starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an amazing array of wagering choices and because you have many individuals trying for the high, and several shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi lo.