Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing range of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.
