Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at the start, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming array of betting options and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high, along with a few battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
