Omaha Hi/Low: General Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some players get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same notion in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game simply enough. 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 once, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing array of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high hand, and many shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.