Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants can get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest 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 lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, as well as a few trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.