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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of entrants get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player's hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It's the strongest possible hand out of every player's, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It's the same approach in almost all poker games.

The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don't count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there's no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems complicated initially, following a few rounds you will be able to get the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an exciting range of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, and a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it's worth your time to play Omaha High-Low.