Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players can get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complex initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming range of betting options and because you have numerous individuals battling for the high hand, and several shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi-low.