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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants often get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical concept in just about every poker game.

The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

Although it seems complex at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming assortment of betting options and because you have several players trying for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.