Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing assortment of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, and many trying for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.