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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of players can get flustered. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

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

The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

Although it seems difficult at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi low offers an amazing range of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have many players battling for the high, as well as many trying for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.