Omaha High-Low Poker (or Omaha Hi-Lo) is played the same as regular Omaha Poker and has become a very popular online gambling game, only that there are two winning hands for each game; a high poker hand and a low poker hand. Each player is required to make two separate 5 card hands, each containing 2 of the 4 holes/pocket cards dealt in the. Omaha Hi-Lo is a 'split pot' game, meaning that at showdown, the pot is divided in half, with one half being awarded to the winning best hand, and the other half to the best qualifying 'low hand.' To find out more about 5 Card Omaha Hi/Lo hand rankings, take a look at the poker hands page. 5 Card Omaha Hi/Lo is played with an 8 or better qualifier. To win the low pot, a low hand must be comprised of five cards all ranked eight or less. Low hands work precisely the same way as they do in Omaha Hi/Lo. If no players have a qualifying low.

Omaha Hold'em, 8 or better high-low split was in definite need of shortening, so poker players commonly refer to it as Omaha/8 or Omaha hi/lo. As with any other game of poker, the rules are mostly simple, but mastering the game requires a talented, relentless student. Omaha Hi/Lo Poker Guide. Omaha hi/lo is very similar to Omaha Hi poker. When it comes right down to it, you can survive in an Omaha Hi-Lo game playing only.

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What is Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8-or-Better Poker?

If you know how to play pot-limit Omaha (or 'Omaha high'), you are well on your way to learning how to play Omaha hi-lo.

As the name suggests, Omaha hi-lo is a 'split-pot' version of Omaha poker in which players compete for both the 'high' and 'low' halves of the pot. Omaha hi-lo is usually played with fixed-limit betting and often turns up in 'mixed game' formats like H.O.R.S.E. (in which Omaha hi-lo is the 'O') or the popular 8-game mix.

You will sometimes see the game referred to simply as 'Omaha 8' or even 'O/8' or more elaborately as 'Omaha hi-lo split-pot-8-or-better.' The name gets styled differently, too, as 'Omaha High-Low,' 'Omaha poker high-low' and so on.

Pot-limit and no-limit versions of Omaha hi-lo are also popular, especially online either as cash games or tournaments.

How to Play Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8-or-Better Poker

The basic rules for Omaha hi-lo are very similar to pot-limit Omaha. See 'How to Play Omaha Poker' for an overview of how to play Omaha poker, which is itself a variation on regular Texas hold'em.

Just like in pot-limit Omaha, players are dealt four cards in Omaha hi-lo and are required to use two of those four cards in combination with three community cards in order to make a five-card poker hand.

As in hold'em or pot-limit Omaha, if a player bets and everyone folds before the showdown, the player wins the pot without having to show a hand. However, if the final bet is called and there is a showdown, hands are examined to see who has the best 'high' hand and who has the best 'low' hand, with each winning one-half of the pot.

Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8-or-Better Rules

In Omaha hi-lo, the 'high' hand is determined exactly the same way as in hold'em or Omaha 'high' games (like PLO), following traditional hand rankings.

The 'low' hand requires a little more explanation, especially if you are new to split-pot games or hi-lo poker.

First of all, whatever cards you use to make your high hand, that makes no difference when making your low hand. You can use the same two cards, the other two cards, or any combination just as long as you use two cards from your four-card hand plus three of the community cards to build your five-card poker hand.

The rules of Omaha hi-lo is usually played with a 'qualifier' for the low hand, meaning all of the cards making up a low hand have to be ranked eight or lower. That's where the 'split-8-or-better' comes from, a phrase usually added to the name of the game.

A qualifying low hand consists of five unpaired cards ranked eight or lower. For the low hand, the ace is considered a low card (the lowest), while it can also serve as the highest-ranking card in high hands.

Also worth noting — if your lowest five cards make a straight or a flush, that doesn't matter in Omaha hi-lo, you've still got a low hand (if all are ranked eight or lower). In other 'lowball' games like 2-7 no-limit triple draw, flushes and straights hurt you by making your low hand higher, but in Omaha hi-lo that is not the case.

That means a hand consisting of 5-4-3-2-A would be the lowest possible hand — that is to say, the best 'low hand' in Omaha hi-lo. This hand is sometimes called a 'wheel.' The next lowest possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A. The worst low hand that qualifies as a low in Omaha hi-lo would be 8-7-6-5-4.

A good way to figure out which low hand is best is to arrange the hand from highest card to lowest card and then to think of the hand as a five-digit number, with the lowest number being the best (or lowest) hand. Thus 5-4-3-2-A (54321) is better than 6-4-3-2-A (64321), and 6-4-3-2-A is better than 6-5-3-2-A (65321) and so on.

An Example of an Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8-or-Better Poker Hand

Let's say a hand of Omaha hi-lo goes to showdown with the final board reading 6♣3♠K♦Q♦.

You hold A♣K♠7♦4♣, and your opponent has Q♠J♦4♦2♠.

Your best possible high hand is two pair, aces and kings — using the A♣ and K♠ in your hand pairing them with the ace and king on board, with the queen being a kicker.

Your best possible low hand is 7-6-4-3-A — using the 7♦ and 4♣ in your hand along with the three low cards on the board. Note how you can't use the ace in your hand when making your low hand, since you have to use exactly two cards in your hand and three on the board (and there is an ace on the board).

Your opponent, meanwhile, has you beat both for the high and the low!

Your opponent's best possible high hand is a flush — using the two diamonds in his hand (J♦ and 4♦) and the three diamonds on the board.

Your opponent's best possible low hand is 6-4-3-2-A — using the 4♦ and the 2♠ in his hand along with the three low cards on the board. 64321 is lower than 76431, so your opponent has you beat.

Winning both halves of the pot like this is called a 'scoop' or 'scooping,' which is something you always want to try to do when playing split-pot or hi-lo poker games.

Sometimes in Omaha hi-lo there is no qualifying low hand. This is the case whenever there are less than three unpaired cards ranked eight or lower on the board.

For example, if the board is 9♣K♦A♥4♥J♠, there are only two cards ranked eight or lower on the board (the ace and four), which means it is impossible for anyone to make a low hand. When that happens, whoever has the best high hand scoops the whole pot.

Conclusion

Omaha hi-lo is not difficult to learn, especially if you already know how to play pot-limit Omaha. The strategy can be complicated, though, with a great deal of importance placed on understanding what are strong starting hands (e.g., hands containing an ace with at least one or two low cards, especially a deuce) and not making the mistake of battling for only half of the pot (just the high or low).

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Omaha Hi-Lo is quickly catching on in the poker world as time passes and more players expand into new forms of poker. Finding the best Omaha Hi-Lo poker site doesn’t have to be a chore thanks to our list of the top poker sites for Omaha Hi-Lo poker. These online poker rooms are ranked according to the number of Omaha tables they have available, the quality of those games, and our overall impressions with the site.

One thing to remember about Omaha Hi-Lo poker is that you won’t find as many players as you will for other poker variations. The good news is that these Omaha poker sites are still large enough that you won’t have any problems finding tables and tournaments at all hours.

Best Omaha Hi Lo Poker Sites

Any of the poker sites above are a great choice for Omaha H/L players. If you wish to play Omaha High-Low online but don't know the game yet, read on for the full rules of Omaha High-Low poker.

How to Play Omaha Hi-Lo

Omaha Hi-Lo poker is played in the same manner as Omaha High except for the showdown rules. In Omaha Hi-Lo, each pot is split between the player with the best poker hand and the player with the lowest poker hand. Some players can even qualify for both halves of the pot and win the entire thing.

A player must have five unpaired hands ranked 8 or lower to qualify for the low half of the pot. Aces are ranked as low and straights/flushes are ignored when qualifying for the low half. The best possible Omaha Hi-Lo hand is A2345. That very same hand can also be used to win the high half of the pot as a straight.

The Blinds

Omaha Hi-Lo uses a system of blinds to start each pot with a little money in it. At the beginning of each hand, the two players to the left of the dealer must pay the blinds. The first player to the left (the small blind) must place a bet equal to half the size of the lower betting limit. The next player to the left (the big blind) must place a bet equal to one full minimum bet.

Preflop

After the blinds are paid, the dealer gives each player four cards face down. These cards are called the “hole” cards and should not be shared with the other players at the table. The dealer passes out one card at a time to each player moving clockwise around the table until each player has four cards.

Next, there is a round of betting. This betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind. Each player may now take turns calling the minimum bet to stay in, folding or raising. If any player raises, the other players must either call that raise, re-raise it or fold.

The Flop

The dealer now deals three cards face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called “community cards” because they are shared by all the players at the table. The players can use the community cards in combination with any two of their hole cards to create the best possible hand.

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Another betting round takes place but this time the betting begins with the first player to the left of the dealer. If the small blind is still in the hand, this betting round would begin with that player. This time, the players may check, bet or fold. If any player makes a bet, the option to fold is lost. Players must either match the current bet, raise it or fold.

The Turn

One card is dealt face up next to the flop. The players now have another betting round similar to the previous round. If this is a fixed limit game, all bets and raises must now be made in increments of the upper betting limit.

The River

One last card is dealt face up next to the flop and turn. The players have one more betting round just like the previous betting round. If there are two or more players remaining after this round of betting, the remaining players have a showdown.

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In the showdown, the players may now reveal their hands. The pot is split between the player with the best high hand and the player with the best low hand. The players may use any three of the community cards in combination with any two of their hole cards to form their hands.