Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated 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 main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal 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 is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same notion in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being 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 lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/lo offers an amazing assortment of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, and several shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha hi lo.