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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in almost every poker game.

A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.

It may seem complex at first, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming array of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have many individuals trying for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha High-Low.