Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in popularity so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called 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. an additional sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in almost every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value 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 eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems complex at first, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming range of betting options and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high, and a few trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.