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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in almost every poker game.

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi-low provides an exciting assortment of wagering options and because you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, and many battling for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.