Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point 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 the point where a number of players often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high hand, along with a few shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha High-Low.
