Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi/lo begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players often get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an amazing collection of betting choices and because you have several players battling for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
