Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, 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 could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting collection of betting options and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high, and several trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi-low.
