Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complex initially, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing array of wagering choices and because you have numerous players trying for the high hand, and many trying for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.
