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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many players get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

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

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

Although it seems difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people 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 provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players shooting for the high, along with several battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi lo.