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

Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where some players can get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

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

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.

It may seem complex at first, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have people wagering 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 collection of betting choices and because you have numerous players battling for the high, and a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.