Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult initially, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an exciting array of wagering possibilities and because you have several players shooting for the high hand, and many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.
