Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not 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 lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult initially, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an exciting assortment of betting possibilities and because you have many individuals battling for the high hand, along with several battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.
