A unique facet of poker is that there is a wide variety of variants available to players. One popular variant of the game is called Omaha Hi Lo poker. Like most of the other poker versions, Omaha Hi Lo is now available for online play, so that interested players can enjoy the excitement of poker from virtually anywhere in the world.

Omaha, like Texas Hold'em, is a community card variant. This simply means that players try to make the best five-card hands they can with a combination of their "hole" cards and the cards in the center of the table. Unlike Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi Lo starts each player out with four hole cards, with five face-up community cards in the center.

Omaha Hi Lo players must use two of their four hole cards along with three of the community cards to form their "best" hands. "Hi Lo" is an interesting aspect of the game that allows the pot to be split between the highest ranking hand at the table and the lowest qualifying hand. In order for a low hand to qualify, it must be eight or lower.

While this seems a little confusing at first, it is simple to learn. A low hand is any combination of the total five cards that has eight or lower as the highest card. For one's low hand, ace is always played low, e.g., as in ace, two, three, etc. A wonderfully inexpensive way to learn how to play Omaha Hi Lo is to visit VIPpoker.com and sign up for a free account. This site has low-limit and free games available so that playing is both inexpensive and fun.