Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low offers an amazing array of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, and many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.