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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’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. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same notion in almost all poker games.

The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can 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 smallest value hand possible. The low 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 low hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems difficult at the start, following a few hands you will be able to get the base nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering choices and because you have many individuals shooting for the high, along with many trying for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi low.