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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed 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 invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many players get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

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

The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, 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 worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

While it seems complex at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting collection of wagering possibilities and because you have many players battling for the high, and several trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.