Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi/low begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike 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’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
The low 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 weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an amazing collection of betting choices and seeing that you have many players trying for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha hi-low.