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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 favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players often get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in nearly all poker games.

A lower hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem complicated at first, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo provides an overwhelming array of betting options and seeing that you have numerous players battling for the high, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.