Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost every poker game.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst 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 five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as 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 provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.