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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some players get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might 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 every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same approach in just about all poker games.

The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

Although it seems complicated initially, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of betting choices and because you have numerous players shooting for the high, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.