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

Omaha Hi-Lo begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players can get baffled. Contrasted to 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 exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card 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 just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in just about all poker games.

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.

Although it seems complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an exciting assortment of wagering choices and because you have many players battling for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.