Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a few entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in nearly all poker games.

The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value 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 eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of wagering options and because you have numerous players trying for the high hand, and many shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.