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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha hi/low starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in almost all poker games.

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

Although it seems difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of play easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of betting choices and seeing that you have several players trying for the high, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.