How To Play Omaha Hi-Low (8 or Better)

Omaha Hi-Low is a fantastic variation of the original Omaha poker game, using the exact same rules except that two hands can actually split the pot, rather than having a single winner. Ideally, the high hand will win half of the pot, while the lowest hand, should it be low enough to qualify, will win the other half of the pot.

Omaha Hi-Low can be played by 2 to 10 players with a standard 52-card deck.

Qualifying Low Hand
As the name Omaha "8 or Better" implies, in order to qualify for a winning low hand, the hand must contain no card higher than an 8, with no pairs or better. Aces are considered the lowest card in a low hand, while straights and flushed are counted as combinations. Therefore, the best (lowest) possible hand is A-2-3-4-5. The highest hand that still qualifies would be 4-5-6-7-8.

Object of Omaha Hi-Low
The object of Omaha Hi-Low (8 or Better) is to develop the highest 5-card poker hand, then the lowest qualifying 5-card poker hand, by using the 9 cards available to you. The winner of the High Hand and Low Hand split the pot. However, each player MUST use exactly 2 Hole Cards and 3 Community Cards to develop their hand. If no player qualifies for a winning Low Hand (see "Qualifying Low Hand" above), the High Hand winner takes the whole pot. Note that the same player can actually win the High and Low Hand.

Betting Structure of Omaha Hi-Low
Omaha Hi-Low can be played in any limit, Fixed Limit, No Limit or Pot Limit, with Blind Bets. In this guide, we’ll be utilizing a Fixed Limit betting structure, but all limits and bet types are defined below.

Fixed Limit: The stakes of the game define the forced bet/raise amount throughout the hand of Omaha Hi-Low. If the stakes are $2/$4, all bets/raises must equal the low-end stakes of $2 during the first two betting rounds, increasing to the high-end stakes of $4 for the last two betting rounds. Fixed Limit poker games limit Raises to 3 per betting round.

No Limit: The stakes define the minimum bet/raise throughout the hand of Omaha Hi-Low, but there is no maximum wager limitation. If the stakes are $2/$4, the minimum bet/raise is $4 at all times.

Pot Limit: The stakes and minimum bet/raise amount follows that of No Limit poker, but the maximum wager is always equal to the pot size. If the pot contains $10, the maximum bet/raise is $10. If a player bets the maximum of $10, the pot increases to $20, thereby increasing the maximum bet to $20.

Small Blind: The Small Blind is a forced bet placed before any cards are dealt by the player left of the Dealer Button. In Fixed Limit, the Small Blind is equal to half of the low-end stakes. In No Limit and Pot Limit, the Small Blind is equal to the low-end stakes.

Big Blind: The Big Blind is also a forced bet placed before any cards are dealt by the player left of the Small Blind. In Fixed Limit, the Big Blind is equal to the low-end stakes. In No Limit and Pot Limit, the Big Blind is equal to the high-end stakes.

Check: If no player has yet placed a Bet in the current round of betting, a player may Check, choosing not to put chips into the pot, but to stay in the hand.

Bet: The first player to put chips in the pot has made a Bet.

Call: When a player matches the previous bet, it is a Call.

Raise: When a player wagers a higher amount than the previous Bet, it is a Raise.

Fold: When a player throws in his cards, forfeiting the hand and all chips in the pot, it is a Fold.

All-In: When a player wagers all remaining chips, it is an All-In bet. An All-In bet must be held in a separate pot because the bettor cannot win a higher amount from any other player than his own wager.

General Game Play of Omaha Hi-Low
Note: For the following example of how to play Omaha Hi-Low poker, we’ll be applying $2/$4 stakes with a Fixed Limit betting structure.

The Omaha Hi-Low hand starts with the Small Blind and Big Blind bets being placed, followed by each player receiving 4 Hole Cards, dealt face-down. The player left of the Big Blind then starts the betting round by Calling the Big Blind, Raising or Folding. (Note: All bets/raises must be equal to the low-end stakes of $2.) Each player follows suit – Call, Raise or Fold – until the Small Blind bettor, who may Call or Raise by adding enough chips to his Small Blind to make the wager, or Fold (losing the Small Blind bet). The Big Blind bettor may Check if no other player has Raised, ending the current betting round. Otherwise, betting continues until all players have Called/Folded.

The Flop: The dealer will place three cards in the center of the table, face-up. These are Community Cards, which are used by every player, in combination with their own Hole Cards, to develop the best hand. A second betting round ensues, with all bets/raises still matching the $2 low-end stakes. The Small Blind will begin the betting round this time.

The Turn: A fourth Community Card is placed face-up in the center of the table, followed by another round of betting, same as the last. For this and the final betting round, bets/raises increase to the high-end stakes of $4.

The River: The last Community Card is dealt face-up. A final round of betting begins, in the same fashion as the last.

The Showdown: All remaining players (assuming everyone hasn’t Folded) will select 2 of their 4 Hole Cards and 3 of the 5 Community Cards to develop the strongest 5-card poker hand. The highest ranking poker hand wins half of the pot.

Next, each player will again combine 2 Hole Cards with 3 Community Cards to develop the lowest possible poker hand. In order to win, the hand must qualify (see "Qualifying Low Hand" at top). The player with the lowest hand wins the other half of the pot.

Should no player qualify for a winning low hand, the High hand winner is awarded the entire pot.

It is possible for the same player to win both the High and Low hand, awarding the entire pot.

A tie, whether High or Low, results in the splitting of that half of the pot between the winners.

Poker Hand Ranks (highest to lowest)
Royal Flush (Ace-high straight suited)
Straight Flush (straight suited)
4 of a Kind (4 cards of the same value)
Full House (3 of a Kind + 1 Pair)
Flush (all cards suited)
Straight (all cards in sequence)
3 of a Kind (3 cards of the same value)
2 Pair (1 Pair + 1 Pair)
1 Pair (2 cards of the same value)
High Card (none of the above combinations)