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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It is 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 variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha hi-low starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold 'Em, in which the board can be every player's hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It's the best possible hand out of every player's, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in just about all poker games.

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free's up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not 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 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 eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complex at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an exciting range of betting options and owing to the fact that you have many individuals battling for the high, and a few trying for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.