Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants get confused. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high hand, along with many 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 play Omaha/8.
