Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha hi/low begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where some players often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical notion in almost all poker games.

The lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming collection of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high, and a few trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.