Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players often get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to 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 is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in just about every poker game.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, 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 lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.

Although it seems complicated at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, along with a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.