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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 every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha hi low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in almost all poker games.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the complete pot.

While it seems complicated at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily 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 hi/lo provides an amazing collection of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, along with a few shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.