Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.

Omaha hi-low begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could 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 everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical approach in just about all poker games.

The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem difficult initially, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play simply enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an amazing assortment of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players trying for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha High-Low.