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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly every poker game.

A lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. 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 lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.

While it seems complicated at the start, after a few rounds you will be able to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha High-Low provides an exciting array of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.