Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems difficult initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing assortment of betting options and because you have numerous players shooting for the high, and several battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.
