Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in nearly all poker games.

A low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. 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. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems difficult initially, following a few rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi-low offers an exciting collection of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.