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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be 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 "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in just about all poker games.

A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complex at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and seeing that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, along with several shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.