Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi-low starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same notion in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems complicated initially, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low provides an amazing range of wagering possibilities and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, along with several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.