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

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some entrants often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in nearly all poker games.

A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. 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 higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complicated initially, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, and many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.