Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in just about 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. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the start, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players shooting for the high hand, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.