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

Omaha hi lo starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must 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 can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might 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 low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.

While it seems complicated at first, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi-low offers an amazing array of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, and many shooting for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.