Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest 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 possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi lo provides an exciting range of wagering choices and because you have several players trying for the high, and many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi low.
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