Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants can get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in just about all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo provides an exciting range of betting options and because you have many players shooting for the high hand, along with several battling for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.
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