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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It's a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold'em, where the board can make up everyone's hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone's, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in almost all poker games.

A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don't count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering options and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, and several shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it's not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.