Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some entrants get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

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

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.

While it seems complex at the start, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi-low offers an amazing range of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, along with many battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.