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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 favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha Hi-Lo starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where some players can get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No 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 exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost every poker game.

A low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of 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 lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting assortment of wagering options and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high hand, along with many shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.