Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players can get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. 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 exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in almost all poker games.

A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest being 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 lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complicated at the start, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low offers an amazing range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high, and a few battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.