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

Omaha hi-low begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in just about every poker game.

A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest 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 smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.

While it seems complex at the outset, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play 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 hi/lo offers an exciting collection of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, along with many shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.