Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly 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 irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi/lo starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. 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 a few players get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing assortment of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals battling for the high hand, and several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.
