Omaha Hi/Lo
An exciting variation of Omaha is Omaha hi/lo. The pot is split 50-50 between the best High Hand and the best qualifying Low Hand. Omaha Hi/Lo requires a lot of skill and usually takes some time to understand the intricacies of the game.
Omaha Hi/Lo is structurally played the same as Omaha High with the exception being that the highest hand wins 50% of the pot and the lowest qualifying hand wins 50% of the pot.
A Low hand must be high card “8 or better” to qualify. To be eligible to win the Low, the highest card must be a 5, 6, 7, or 8. The winning Low Hand (8 or better) is determined first by the player with the lowest High card. Upon a tie with the High card, the hand goes to the player with the next lowest High card.
Any hand that is high card 9 or higher can NOT qualify as a Low Hand.
If there is no qualifying Low Hand then the high hand wins 100% of the pot.
- Each player receives four face-down cards (pocket cards) to start.
- At the showdown each player must use exactly two of their four pocket cards and combine them with exactly three boardcards.
- At the showdown each player can use any two of their pocket cards for their high hand and any two of their pocket cards for their low.
- The best low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5 (known as “the wheel”). This will also count as a straight for high. Aces can be used for both high and low.
- Straights and flushes are not considered when evaluating a low hand.
A player can “scoop” the entire pot with both the high and low by showing the highest and lowest hands.