Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, 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 lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering options and because you have many players trying for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.