Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi low offers an exciting array of betting choices and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.