Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in almost all poker games.

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not 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 just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming array of wagering options and because you have several individuals shooting for the high, along with a few battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.