The high-low split pot version of Omaha is a fun and exciting game, which we will refer to as Omaha/8. It is typically played as a fixed-limit game, but the pot-limit variety (known by the abbreviation PLO/8) is also popular, particularly online. The format, betting structure, and requirement to use two cards from your initial four hole cards, in conjunction with three cards from the board, is all the same as Omaha high but coupled with the addition of the best high and best low hands splitting the pot.

Omaha Poker Low Hand Rules

In Omaha Hi-Lo, the best hand (the Hi) takes half the pot, and the worst hand (the Lo) takes half the pot (assuming that there is a qualifying lo). A qualifying hand is one that is 8-high or worse (if you cannot make a 5-card hand that is no better than 8 high, you cannot win the lo; in case of no qualifying lo, the high wins the entire pot). The best possible low hand on Omaha Hi/Lo (and Stud Hi/Lo) is 5-4-3-2-A, which is often known as the wheel (or bicycle). You will notice that the 'wheel' is also a Five-high straight on the high end of the board, which makes it a very powerful holding in Hi/Lo games. In Hi/Lo games, there is always an Eight qualifier for the low.

In our lesson on how to play Omaha we outlined that one major difference between Omaha and hold’em was the number of potential hands vying for the pot. In Omaha/8 that number remains constant as each hand still has six possibilities but now some of them are vying for the low end and others for the high. What this translates to is an action packed game with numerous bets and raises and large pots.

Omaha/8 Showdown Rules

Omaha/8 is a split pot game, which means that unless someone scoops the pot it will be split. There are two ways to scoop the entire pot. The first is to have both the best high and low hands. The other way is to possess the best high hand when no hand qualifies for the low.

The High Hand

The high hand in Omaha/8 is the identical to a winning hand in Omaha high. If there is no qualified low hand then the best high hand will win the pot.

Qualifying Low Hand

Omaha Hi Lo Poker Best Starting Hands

The rules for a qualifying low hand are as follows:

• Players may use any five cards in their hand for the low
• A low hand is five unpaired cards, no higher than an eight
• Aces are low for the low hand (and high for the high hand)
• Flushes and straights do not negatively impact the low hand

Ranking Low Hands

Low hands in Omaha/8 are ranked ‘top down’, from the highest card in the hand. For example is lower than . This is an example of a “7 low” versus an “8 low”.

If the highest card is equal in rank then the next highest card is used to determined the lowest hand. This means that is lower than because the second highest card among the five is lower. If the second highest card was the same then it would go to the third, fourth, and fifth card respectively. If players share the same low cards then the low half of the pot is split.

The best possible low hand in Omaha/8 is A-2-3-4-5, known as a ‘wheel’. Remember that low hands that are straights and flushes do not disqualify it from being low but, in fact, make it a two way hand and a candidate to scoop. While a Royal flush and a five high straight, called a wheel, would represent the best high and best low hands, the hand you really want at the showdown is a five high straight flush to scoop the pot with the best high and low hands.

Omaha/8 Hand Examples

The basic rules are the same as Omaha high, in that you must use two of your hole cards with three on the board.

In the above example a low hand is not possible because the board doesn’t contain three cards that are eight or lower. Only the best high hand will win. The nuts for this board would be someone holding Jack-Queen for the straight. With (which is an excellent starting hand in Omaha/8) you would use along with the on the board to make a high-hand of one pair.

Here is a hand that would qualify for both the high and the low:

In the above example the board contains three card no higher than an eight; the . The hole cards in this example are very strong. In Omaha/8 you can use any two of your cards for the low and any two for the high-hand. The can be used for the nut high hand (flush) and can be used for the nut low ( A-2-3-7-8). This is a prime candidate for scooping the pot.

If you’re unsure how to work out low hands, which can be confusing at first, then don’t worry. The key is to count backwards from the highest low card first. As mentioned, the best low hand is A-2-3-4-5 which is a five-low hand, which when counting backwards would obviously be 5-4-3-2-A. The next best low hand would be a six-low of 6-4-3-2-A, followed by 6-5-3-2-A, then 6-5-4-2-A, then 6-5-4-3-A and so on. The highest card is counted first and if there’s a tie the next highest low card is counted.

The split pot rule makes it a very different game to Omaha-high. But it’s important to stress that Omaha/8 is not a game of splits. Whilst the best high hand will win half the pot and the best low hand will win the other half; scooping the entire pot is the true object of this poker game.

This game seems to have polarized poker fans in so far as they either love it or have a disdain for it. I like to call those who love it Omaholics and you should be careful, for if you are just getting started in this addictive form of poker, you may well join their ranks.

By Tom 'TIME' Leonard

Tom has been writing about poker since 1994 and has played across the USA for over 40 years, playing every game in almost every card room in Atlantic City, California and Las Vegas.

If ever there was a game created for sheer fun and excitement, it has to be Omaha-Hi-Lo! Haven't had the pleasure of playing this quick-fire poker format? Well, you've certainly not lived in your online poker life. This is the sort of game that has humongous pots and even bigger poker hands.

Jumping straight in and playing is one option. However, getting familiar with both the rules and the strategy will make the game even more enjoyable. You'll be making money with better hands while having an absolute blast! And, at 888poker there are more Omaha-Hi-Lo games than you can shake a stick at.

But, firstly, let's go over a few key strategy points, you'll need to know before getting caught up in this action-packed game.

Omaha-Hi-Lo Strategy – The Main Components

One of the first things you'll need to know about Hi-Lo is that there are two winning hands at showdown: a High Hand and a Low Hand. They get to split the pot 50/50. Not bad! But it gets even better. Make the best Hi and Lo on the river and scoop the lot! 100% of the pot is yours.

The main betting format for Omaha-Hi-Lo is Pot Limit, but you will also find a lot of Fixed Limit games. Ultimately, the choice is yours when it comes to which one you should play. Pot Limit games play a lot like No Limit when you compare pot sizes. Whereas the Fixed Limit games restrict the amount of your stack you can get into the pot to a maximum of 4 times the Big Blind, on each street.

In Omaha MTTs, using Omaha Hi-Low tournament strategy can really help you go deep and make more final tables. It's a case of balancing solid starting hands with good knowledge of how low hands work.

Omaha Hi Lo Poker

Now, let's get into the mechanics of Omaha-Hi-Lo game strategy, starting with pre-flop hand selection.

Starting Hands

Because there are two winning pots in this format, you should pick starting hands that can scoop both. In fact, one of the main strategy rules of split-pot games is, “Go for the low and back into the high”. A hand like A-A-2-X double-suited gives you the chance at the nut-low and the nut flush (high hand) draws.

Take a look at this Top Ten list of Best Starting Hands:

1. A-A-2-3 DS
2. A-A-2-4 DS
3. A-A-2-3 Suited
4. A-A-2-5 DS
5. A-A-2-4 Suited
6. A-A-3-4 DS
7. A-A-2-3 Non-suited
8. A-A-2-2 DS
9. A-A-3-5 DS
10. A-A-2-6 DS

Now many Hi-Lo gurus will fall in love with any A-2-X-X, but not all A-2 hands are created equal. For example, look at the hand A-2-Q-Q double-suited and compare that to A-2-J-8 non-suited. The A-2 with the Queen kickers just beats the J-8 hand into submission. It's not even a fair fight!

So even though the low is an important part of this poker genre, it only makes up 50% of the winning hand. You should look for hands that contain cards that can help in making a winning high hand, too.

Hands that have suited aces, big pairs, or other high cards that can help you make nut flushes or straights, are perfect.

Low Hands

Now going for the Lo and having the best Lo are two entirely different animals in Omaha. It's common to see players calling massive river bets with a Low Hand that is solidly beat.

Have a look at the following board and starting hands. See if you can determine which Low wins:

Player 1's Low reads 7s-6s-4d-2d-Ac: They have used the 7s, 6s and 2d from the board along with the Ac and 4d from their hand make their best possible Low.

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Player 2's Low reads 7s-6s-3d-2s-Ah: They have used the 7s, 6s and Ah from the board along with the 2s and 3d from their hand make their best possible Low.

A great way to calculate lows is from top to bottom, with the Ace being the bottom card. So, in this example, even though both players have the A-2, from the top down Player 2's 3d beats Player 1's 4d. And so, Player 2 has the better hand.

Now you can easily see why being able to calculate the best possible Low is so important. It's easy to get beat by just one card. If you find yourself in a situation where your Lo could be beat, folding or just calling (a small bet) is a good option.

In the above scenario, if Player 2 felt they had the best Low Hand, they would likely build a big pot. Where would this leave you? Up the creek without a paddle and sinking fast!

However, once you get more familiar with making and reading Lows, you'll start to know when you have the best of it. If an opponent that you suspect has a Low is just calling, go for it. More than likely they don't have your Low beat and are trying to get to showdown without losing any more chips.

Counterfeit Lows & Backup Cards

While A-2-X-X is a super-strong starting hand, having something like A-2-3-X is even better. Why? Because now you also have a good backup card. What's a backup card, you might ask? Well, these are cards that will “back up” your draw, if one of your Low cards falls on the board.

Remember that in Omaha, players must use 3 cards from the board to form a hand. Therefore, if they happen to have an A-3-4-X hand, the 2 will fill the gap between the A and the 3 quite nicely. And, unless your X-card is a 4 your Low would be beat!

This is why staying aware of what low cards can counterfeit (match one of your low cards making it useless) is so important. And, don't forget those backup cards, if you really want to make certain your Low comes out on top.

Limp! Limp! Limp!

Omaha is a game of draws – big draws. It's not uncommon to see more than one Low or multiple flush hands in the same suit on the river. And, with players drawing to lots of different highs and lows, there's bound to be a lot of action in this game.

So, getting your chips all-in pre-flop isn't a great idea. In fact, being able to see a flop for cheap is a good thing. If you hit the board hard with nut high and low draws, bang it! Get as many of your chips into the middle as possible. In a Pot Limit game, this isn't that hard to do.

Just make sure that, when you do make your draw, it has a good chance of holding up.

Yes, Position Matters in Omaha!

As with other poker games, in Omaha Hi-Lo position is very important. You should restrict playing early position to premium starting hands – like the ones on the Top Ten list. This will help you conserve chips and avoid having to play your draws out of position. https://gogoomg.netlify.app/wheel-of-fortune-game-free-for-galaxy.html.

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Playing drawing hands when you're closer to the button just makes more sense. 1955 south casino drive laughlin nv. You get to control the pot and your opponents. If a player tries to check-raise you, you can check behind. If they lead out, you can raise and build a big pot for yourself.

Keep in mind that Hi-Lo can be a volatile game because of all the drawing hands and starting hand combinations. So get maximum value for your big draws, by playing more hands in position and minimise weaker ones, by folding more out of position. It's as simple as that!