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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It's a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of players can get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be every player's hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It's the strongest hand out of every player's, it doesn't matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in almost all poker games.

The lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don't count. A low hand is the worst 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 worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there's no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complex at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming assortment of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high, along with many trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it's worth your time to participate in Omaha hi lo.