Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha hi/lo begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in nearly every poker game.

The lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. 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 value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the complete pot.

While it seems difficult at first, after a few rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties 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 array of betting possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players battling for the high, along with several battling for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha hi/low.