Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of 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 lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems complicated at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low provides an overwhelming range of betting options and seeing that you have several players trying for the high, and many shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.
