Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha Hi-Lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players can get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could 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’s the identical notion in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high, and several trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha hi lo.