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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It's a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold 'Em, where the board can be everyone's hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

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

A lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don't count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 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 high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting range of wagering choices and seeing that you have many players battling for the high hand, along with several battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it's not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.