Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in almost every poker game.

A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.

While it seems difficult initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low provides an amazing range of betting options and seeing that you have several players battling for the high hand, and several trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.