Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some players often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use 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 could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the worst 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 does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an amazing range of wagering choices and because you have many individuals battling for the high, and a few battling for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.