Omaha Hi Lo Poker

The goal of Omaha High-Low is to have both the best high and low hand.

The High Hand

The high hand is exactly the same as in Omaha Holdem, where it is the best "normal" poker hand, starting at the top with a royal flush and moving on down the line. Similarly, just as in regular Omaha, a player must use two of the hole cards and three of the board cards when making a hand.

The Low Hand

The low hand is a little bit complicated. A player must still use two of the hole cards with three of the board cards in order to qualify for the low hand. However, all low hands must be eight or lower (the lower the better). An eight low has an eight and four lower cards, a seven low has a seven and four lower cards, and so on. The best possible low is called a wheel and is Five high, 5-4-3-2-A (a Five high straight). The worst possible low is 8-7-6-5-4 (an Eight high straight). Accordingly, in order for there to be a possible low on the board, there must be at least three cards Eight or lower on the board.

Splitting the Pot

Omaha High-Low is a split-pot game. Half the pot is awarded to the player with the best high hand, and half the pot is awarded to the player holding the best low hand. If no low hand is feasible or no one qualifies for a low hand, the whole pot goes to the high hand. In Omaha High-Low there is the possibility of making both the best high and low poker hand as well as the possibility of winning a quarter of the pot. This can happen when two players have the same high or low hand, but one of the players has the best high or low hand.