Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players can get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in almost every poker game.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. 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 being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting range of wagering options and because you have several individuals battling for the high hand, and many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/lo.
