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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same concept in just about all poker games.

The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t 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 below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting collection of betting choices and seeing that you have many players trying for the high hand, and many trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.