Omaha Hi-Lo Rules
Sometimes known as Omaha Hi-Lo Split eight or
better, Omaha Hi-Lo is a split pot game. This means there is a chance of
making both the best high and low poker hand. Half the pot is awarded to
the player with the best high hand and half the pot goes to the player
with the low hand.
If no one qualifies for a low hand, the whole
pot goes to the high hand. When a player wins both the high and the low
it is known as scooping.
Omaha Hi-Lo isn't spread in all casinos but
when it is, it's usually one of the more profitable games, because most
players don't understand it very well.
Don't be one of them. Read on to get the inside
scoop on it!
The High Hand
The high hand is exactly the same as
in regular Omaha, which is just the best poker hand, starting at the top
with a royal flush and moving down the line. Just as in regular Omaha,
one must use two (exactly two) of the hole cards and
three (exactly three) of the board cards when making a
hand.
The Low Hand
The low hand is slightly more
complicated to figure out. One 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 contains an eight
and four lower cards, a seven low contains 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.
Flushes and straights are irrelevant in the
low.
Examples
An 8-4-3-2-A low is worse than a
7-6-5-4-3 low.
A 7-4-3-2-A low is worse than a 6-5-4-3-2 low.
An 8-7-3-2-A low is worse than an 8-6-5-4-3 low.
A 7-6-3-2-A low is worse than a 7-5-4-3-2 low.
An 8-6-5-4-3 low is worse than an 8-6-5-4-2 low, which is worse
than an 8-6-5-4-A low.
Getting Quartered
In Omaha high-low it is possible to win 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.
Example 1
Player A has the best high and the
same low as player B. As such, Player B will receive
one-quarter of the pot and player A will collect three-quarters.
| Player A Hole Cards |
Player B Hole Cards |
    |
    |
Player A has a set of aces
for the high and an eight-low. |
Player B has an eight-low. |
Example 2
Player A has the best high hand but no
low, and player B and C hold the same low. Player A
receives one half of the pot and player B and C split the remaining
half. Player B and C got quartered
Player A Hole Cards
|
Player B Hole Cards
|
Player C Hole Cards
|
   |
   |
    |
| Player A has a set of nines for the
high. |
Player B has an eight-low. |
Player C has an eight-low. |
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