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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

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

A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complex initially, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha High-Low provides an amazing range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, along with many shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.