Omaha High vs. Omaha Hi-Lo
Conveniently for those who know Omaha High, Omaha Hi-Lo is played according to almost identical rules.
The only time the High and Hi-Lo differ rules-wise is at the showdown.
Omaha Hi-Lo, also known as Omaha High-Low, O8 and Omaha 8-or-Better, is one of the most popular and entertaining forms of poker in the world.
Because this article only details the differences between Omaha High and Omaha Hi-Lo, if you aren't familiar with the rules and game play of Omaha High, you're going to want to read this article:
Assuming you understand how to play Omaha High, let's look at what distinguishes the two games.
Omaha Hi-Lo Showdown Rules
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."
The High
The winning high hand in Omaha Hi-Lo is identical to that of Omaha High. There are no qualification requirements for the high, meaning there will always be a winning high hand.
The Low
Low hands must qualify to be eligible for winning the low half of the pot.
- A low hand is composed of any two cards from a player's hand, and any three cards from the board (community cards).
- The cards a player uses for his best High hand have no effect on the low. The player can use the same cards, different ones or a combination from his hand.
- A qualifying low hand is defined as five unpaired cards, all with ranks at or below 8.
- Aces are considered low for the low hand.
- Flushes and straights are ignored for the low, meaning the best low possible is A-2-3-4-5 regardless of suits.
- Low hands are counted from the top down, meaning the hand is only as good as its highest card. For example:
- 2♠ 3♣ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ is lower than A♠ 2♣ 3♥ 4♣ 8♠
- Any hand with a pair, or with a card higher than 8, does not qualify, even if the rank of the pair is below 8.
- Suits do not count toward a low; any players sharing the exact same low must equally split the low half of the pot. (Winning half of the Low pot, and nothing from the High pot is known as being quartered.)
A hand example:
Board: 4♥ 5♣ 7♥ Q♠ A♦
Hand 1: A♥ 2♠ K♥ K♠
Hand 2: A♠ 3♠ Q♥ Q♦
High Winner: Hand 2 wins with three-of-a-kind queens: Q♥ Q♦ Q♠ A♦ 7♥
Low Winner: Hand 1 wins with a 7-5-4-2 Low: 7♥ 5♣ 4♥ 2♠ A♥
Here's a more difficult one for you:
Board: K♥ 3♦ 4♦ 8♠ 2♦
Hand 1: A♥ 2♠ Q♦ K♠
Hand 2: 6♥ 7♥ T♦ J♦
High Winner: Hand 2 wins with a flush, jack-high: 2♦ 3♦ 4♦ T♦ J♦
Low Winner: Hand 2 Wins with a 7-6 Low: 7♥ 6♥ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦
In this pot, Hand 2 scoops with the best high and the best low. Many players will think that Hand 1 will win the low because A-2 is a lot lower than 6-7.
Unfortunately, Hand 1 pairs his 2 on the river, meaning he has to use the 8 as his fifth card to make a qualifying Low hand. Even though the majority of Hand 2's cards are higher, Hand 2 is able to use the three lowest cards on the board, making for a low of only seven-high.
General Rules
- If there is an extra odd chip, unable to be split in half, this chip is always added to the pot awarded to the winning high hand.
- If there is no qualifying low hand, the entire pot is awarded to player with the winning high hand.
- Players can win one or both halves of the pot with the same or different cards from their hand.
- A player does not have to announce what half of the pot she's playing for at the beginning of the hand. This is only required in other variations of poker, known as "declare" games.
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Comments
20julia
2008-11-04if you have a pair of sixes in your hand and 3 6 on the board can you play 4 sixes
Sean Lind
2008-11-04I'm not too sure what you're asking here? If you have a pair of sixes in your hand, and there are two sixes on the board, you play four of a kind.
If you have three sixes in your hand and one on the board, you only have trips.
Jim
2009-01-18In Omaha H/L which hand is lower 76532 or 7654A?
Sean Lind
2009-01-20Jim, In Omaha H/L (O8) you always count the low from the top down.
Player 1:76532
Player 2:7654A
Because you count from the top down, 3 is lower than 4, making player 1 the winner.
John
2009-04-10ok if you have a 65432 straight does that beat 75432 the 75432 is the worst hand. in the above rules it states you can have no straights or flushes and A2345 is a straight any comments on that
Sean Lind
2009-04-11Hey John, you're getting two games mixed up here.
In a lowball game, such as 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball, the best low hand is: 75432
In a lowball game aces are high and straights count against you.
In a hi-lo split game, it works differently. Aces are low, and straights mean nothing. Above it reads:
Flushes and straights do not count for the low, meaning the best low possible is A-2-3-4-5.
rick
2009-05-20I was playing hi lo in a cashgame when the following occured:
I had AH2H to a low
the board read 34k 7 2
being pot commited i pushed the remainder of my stack. luckily for me my opponent was playing a hi and had no cards to a low. the dealer then told me my 2 did not qualify because the 2 on the river counterfited. He said I had no low at all, since there was a 2 on the board i couldn't use the 2 in my hand I believed I had a 7432HAH low. Was i correct in assuming any two cards in my hand (under eight) along with any three cards (under eight) on the board make a low, as long as those five cards are each a different number
Sean Lind
2009-05-20Rick, you're right, the dealer's wrong.
You need 5 cards all valued 8 or less to have a low. Out of those 5 cards, none can be paired with each other.
You had A-2-3-4-7 as your low. Because your 2 paired on the river, it forced you to play the 7 for a 7-4 low, meaning anyone with something like A5, or even 56 would have beat you.
Since your opponent had no cards to the low, that half of the pot was yours.
Ben
2009-07-29While I was playing tonight, i tried to scoop the pot by playing the the best high and low hand! once cards were shown, i truly did have the best high hand, and when the low hands were shown, I shared the same exact best low hand as another player! a2347! the rules state that in order to win the whole pot, i must have both the best high hand and best low hand! Like I said before, I had the best high hand, no questions asked, and shared the best low hand. The table then told me I was a loser, and didnt give me any of the pot cause I didnt win the low hand all to myself! Shouldnt I have taken the winnings for the high hand, and split the winnings for the low hand, since we both had the best low hand??
Sean Lind
2009-07-29Ben,
If you really did have the best high-hand, then half the pot is awarded to you.
The second half of the pot, awarded to the best low hand, would have been split in half: Half to you, half to the other player with the same low.
You win 3/4 of the pot. I'm not sure why it didn't happen this way for you.
Scholesy
2009-08-10Recently while playing Omaha Hi Lo,
On the flop there was 6,7,8 and the 2 other cards were higher than Jack .
Player 1 had A,5
Player 2 had 3,4.
Wouldn't Player 1 have won? I was player 2 btw. I always thought that, when the board comes out that way, any player with an Ace would almost automatically win that, is that correct?
Cheers
Sean Lind
2009-08-10Scholesy,
Player one has a 765 low (A-2-5-6-7)
Player two has a 764 low (2-3-4-6-7)
Since the low is always counted from the top down, not the lowest card, player 2 wins the low.
Nicole
2009-09-25Sean----You said earlier that flushes and straights do not count as a low, yet you said A 2 3 4 5 is the best low hand you can have. I'm confused because that obviously makes a straight....Please explain.
Sean Lind
2009-09-25Nicole,
Flushes and straights don't count in that they don't turn your low into a high.
if you have: Ah-2h-3h-4h-5h you have a straight flush, one of the best hands in poker. But since flushed and straights don't count for the low, you also have the nut low.
Basically, you pretend straights and flushes don't exist when it comes to low in Omaha or Stud.
Nicole
2009-09-26So say for instance it's heads up at an Omaha Hi Low table and all action is complete. Player 1 shows Ah 2h 3h 4h 5h and player 2 shows K Q J 9 8....Does player 1 take down the whole pot having the best low or is it a split pot with player 2 having King high for the best high hand?
Sorry if that was confusing. Just trying to get a better idea of the game.
Sean Lind
2009-09-28Nicole,
Player 1 will take the whole pot, since they have the best hands for both:
Low - A-2-3-4-5
High (straight flush) A-2-3-4-5
If player1's cards were of different suits, player 2 would have won the high half of the pot with a higher straight, 8-k.
Pema
2009-10-12I am confused:
Which is the low hand for Omaha Hi/Lo in this case:
65432 - straight
75432
I am unclear about this stmt: "Flushes and straights do not count for the low"
Can you please clarify the same
Steve P
2009-10-12Hi Pema
65432 - straight
75432
In this instance hand 1 would win the low pot as the low is counted from top down.
"Straights and flushes do not count" means they do not count as straights or flushes and they count as your low hand.
It is worded quite confusingly isn't it.
Hope this helps.
Steve P
Sean Lind
2009-10-14What steve said.
I'm going to change the wording the article today. It seems to have confused a couple of people.
-sean
Pema
2009-10-16Steve,
Thanks for the info... it has clarified my doubt...
Thanks