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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha hi-low begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold'em, in which the board can be every player's hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card 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 is the strongest possible hand out of every player's, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It's the same approach in just about every poker game.

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don't count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there's no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/lo provides an exciting collection of betting choices and because you have many players battling for the high hand, along with several 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.