Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at first, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals battling for the high, and many battling for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.