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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.

A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an amazing assortment of betting options and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, and several shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.