Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. 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 flipped. The players must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players often get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo offers an exciting assortment of betting possibilities and because you have many players shooting for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.
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