Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. 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 variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi-low starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have 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 flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same notion in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of 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 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems complex initially, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming assortment of betting possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players battling for the high hand, along with many trying for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.