Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. 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 value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming range of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, along with many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.
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