Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly every poker game.

A low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.

While it seems complex initially, following a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha hi/lo.