Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in just about all poker games.

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.

Although it seems complicated at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi lo provides an exciting range of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high hand, and many trying for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.