Omaha is a community-card poker variant, a very close relative of Texas Hold’em. Also called Omaha Eight-or-better, or Omaha Hi-Lo when played with a high-low split, it has players facing challenges which are radically different from what one may encounter in Texas Holdem.

Also called a “game of nuts”, Omaha is a game of huge edges, quite contrary to Texas Holdem, which is based on the systematic exploitation of tiny advantages.

The gameplay of Omaha Hi-Lo is eerily reminiscent of Texas Holdem. The difference is that players are dealt 4 hole cards instead of the 2 they’d get in Holdem. Other than that, the game goes down exactly as a hand of Holdem. As soon as the two blinds are posted, the dealer hands everyone their 4 hole-cards. Betting begins, followed by the 3-card community flop. Another betting round commences, then comes the turn, followed by yet another round of betting. The final community card is then shown, the river, followed by the last round of betting. Showdown puts an end to the hand, and declares a winner.

The player with the best five-card hand he can make using exactly two of his four pocket cards and exactly three cards off the board, wins. Here’s the other major difference between Omaha and Holdem. In Omaha Hi-Lo, the guy with the best hand only wins half the pot if another player at the table can show down a valid low hand. The lowest one of these low hands will win half the pot, so it’ll basically be a 50-50 split between the two winners.

In order to qualify for a low, you have to have 5 cards (again, no less and no more than two from your pocket hand and exactly three off the table) which are all below 8. 8 and cards above 8 do not qualify for a low.

This high-low split adds a whole new dimension to the game, and complicates matters for rookies.