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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 variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many players often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. 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 identical approach in almost every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex initially, after a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi lo provides an exciting array of betting possibilities and because you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/lo.