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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in just about every poker game.

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t 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 lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.

While it seems complex at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing range of wagering options and seeing that you have several players trying for the high hand, as well as several shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.