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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 popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many players often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

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

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can 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 lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.

Although it seems difficult at first, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing assortment of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals battling for the high, as well as several shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi-low.