Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players can get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

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

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

Although it seems complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing assortment of betting possibilities and because you have many individuals shooting for the high, as well as many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi-low.