Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha hi/low begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in almost every poker game.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems difficult initially, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming assortment of betting possibilities and seeing that you have several players battling for the high hand, and many shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha High-Low.