Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some entrants can get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in nearly every poker game.

A lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting assortment of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players trying 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 play Omaha/8.