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 game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi lo begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical approach in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and because you have numerous players trying for the high, and several shooting for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.
