One very popular variety of Omaha poker is the Omaha Hi-Lo game. It is also sometimes called Omaha 8-or-better, Omaha/8 or some variation of those. Omaha Hi-Lo is a hi-lo split game where the pot is split between a winning high hand and, if possible, a winning low hand as well. The high hand is played like any other game of Omaha and the low hand is a hand 8 or lower hence where the name comes from.
There are a number of things that you need to remember when playing Omaha Hi-Lo, because the Lo portion of the game adds an additional layer of complexity onto the already complex game. In order for any low hand to be possible, there must be three different cards on the table that are 8 or lower. About 60% of the time there is a possibility of there being a low hand in a normal game of Omaha Hi-Lo. Additionally, it is not uncommon for low hands to tie and you can often have pots in Hi-Lo that are split 4 ways.
Another thing to note about Omaha Hi-Lo is the fact that playing for low hands can often cause problems, especially if you do not have what is known as a protected low hand. A protected low hand is where a player has a hand that, even if, say, they are holding a 2 in their hand and a two hits they board, they can still make a low hand. Players should never play for a low hand without a protected low because it is not uncommon for a low hand to be busted if a player only has two low cards in their hand.
When the number of low cards in the Full Tilt board is 4 or 5, being able to determine the holdings of other players becomes extremely difficult, if not downright impossible. Because there are not as many possibilities for low hands, many players may be able to either make the same hand in multiple ways, or be sharing the same low hand with other players at the table. This can usually bode well for players who have good options on the high hand but players working with lows, things can get messy.
Additionally, the betting can be split between full tilt poker players betting their high hands or players betting on their low hands so it can be immensely hard to figure out what is going on in the betting. You could have a strong high hand but someone else could be raising like a playersonly madman because they have the nut low and are trying to take the pot while you would be more than able to take the Hi half of the pot. Being able to determine what half of the pot players’ hands are in the running for can be immensely difficult and can get you into trouble if you happen to guess incorrectly.