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

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants can get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical approach in just about all poker games.

A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to get the base subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low offers an exciting range of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, along with many shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/lo.