Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complex initially, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing range of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, along with many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.