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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical approach in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, 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 worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at first, following a few hands you will be able to get the base nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming array of wagering choices and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, and a few trying for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.