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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants often get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t 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 just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.

While it seems complicated initially, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties 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 offers an amazing array of betting choices and seeing that you have several individuals shooting for the high, and many trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.