Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some players get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex initially, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi lo offers an exciting array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high, and many trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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