Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical notion in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting 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 hi/lo offers an exciting range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players trying for the high, and a few trying for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
