Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha hi lo begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues 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 the point where some players often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly all poker games.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

While it seems complicated at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of betting options and because you have numerous players battling for the high, as well as many battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha High-Low.