Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complex at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming range of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high hand, along with a few trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha High-Low.