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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha hi/low begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some entrants get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 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 very same concept in nearly all poker games.

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex initially, following a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, and many battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.