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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants can get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in nearly all poker games.

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

It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of betting possibilities and because you have several individuals battling for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.