Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players can get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly all poker games.

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem complex initially, after a few hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals betting 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 possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high hand, and many battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.