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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly 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 action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha hi/low starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same notion in just about all poker games.

The lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not 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 low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the basic 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 being used at once, Omaha hi-low provides an overwhelming range of wagering options and because you have many players trying for the high, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.