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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha Hi-Lo begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in almost every poker game.

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting range of betting possibilities and because you have many players shooting for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.