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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players can get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

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

A lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming array of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals trying for the high, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.