Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming collection of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high hand, and several battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.