Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s 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 invisible variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi/lo begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst 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 value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at first, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo offers an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many individuals battling for the high hand, as well as a few trying for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.