Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of betting possibilities and because you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
