Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi/low starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same notion in just about all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem difficult initially, after a few hands you will be able to get the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing collection of betting choices and seeing that you have many players trying for the high hand, and many shooting for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.