Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi/low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing assortment of betting options and seeing that you have numerous individuals trying for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha High-Low.
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