Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players often get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly three 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 may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very 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 don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.

Although it seems difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting array of betting choices and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, along with a few battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.