Playing Omaha Hold'em Hi/Lo

The game of Omaha Hi/Lo uses the same essential set of rules as Omaha, except that instead of only ranking the high hand (as in Omaha), in Hi/Lo the pot is split between the best low hand and the best high hand. If you are already familiar with the rules of Omaha generally, then you should proceed to the rules for Hi/Lo below. If you are unfamiliar with the rules of Omaha, please see our Omaha Hold'em rules.

Hand Rankings in Omaha Hold'em Hi/Lo

In Hi/Lo poker, hands are valued in two ways. The 'high hand' is the normal ranking of poker hands used in Texas Hold'em, Omaha, 7-card stud and 5-card draw. For more on the general poker hand ranks please see our poker hand rankings examples.

The 'low hand' in Hi/Lo is a hand ranking that is significantly different from the 'high' hand strength, in that one does not want to make pairs or 'three of a kind' or other common poker hands, but instead, one wants to make a poker hand with five cards that are of a different rank and as low as possible.

In determining a low hand, the rule of '8 or better' is used (which is why Omaha Hi/Lo is often called Omaha 8-or-better). This means that a low hand cannot contain a card higher than 8. For example, A2348 is a low hand, whereas A2349 is not. Note that 'straights' and 'flushes' do not affect low hands (although they still count towards high hands). Aces are considered low for the low hand, and high for the high hand.

In deciding which low hand wins, the rank of the hand is based on the highest card in the hand, and the lowest 'high card' in the low hand wins. For example, 23456 is a better low hand than A2347. Note that you cannot use the same rank of a card twice for a low hand (that is, a low hand cannot have a pair in it).

The best low hand and best high hand will split the pot, and if two or more players have the same low or high hand, the ½ of the pot due to that type of hand will be split amongst them. If no one has a qualifying low hand (that is, no one can make a five card poker hand for the low, where all their cards are 8 or lower) then the entire pot will be awarded to the best high hand.