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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many players can get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost all poker games.

A low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at the outset, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players wagering 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 provides an amazing assortment of betting choices and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.