How to Play Omaha Hi Lo

Omaha Hi Lo poker, often known as ‘Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8-or-better’ is a split pot version of the popular Omaha poker variation. At showdown the pot will be split between the best ‘high’ poker hand and the best ‘low’ hand comprising 5 different cards 8 or lower. A-2-3-4-5 is the best possible low hand and is known as a ‘wheel’.

Structure and Blinds

Omaha hi-lo uses 4 hole cards being dealt to each player. At showdown 2 cards from a players hand and 3 cards from the 5 ‘community cards’ must be used to make each of the high and low poker hands. Each hand is made independently, meaning that it is possible that a different 2 cards can be used to make each hand or that some the cards used can be the same. The key point to remember is ‘2 and only 2 for the high, 2 and only 2 for the low’.

Blinds are posted by the player to the left of the dealer, the first left posting a ‘small blind’ and the 2nd a ‘big blind’. Blinds are typically a small fraction of the starting stacks of the players. Each player is then dealt 4 cards face down before the betting commences.

Betting

Betting in Omaha Hi-Lo can be either fixed limit (where the betting amounts are pre-determined) or they can be pot-limit (where players can bet up to the size of the current pot). On the first betting round the player to the left of the big blind begins the action, on each subsequent round betting is started by first player still in the hand to the left of the dealer button.

A raise during any round of betting will ‘re-open the bets’ giving each player a chance to react to the bet or raise. In fixed limit Omaha hi-lo there is a restriction of 4 raises per betting round. In the pot-limit version there are no such restrictions. Pot-limit betting means that the size of the pot can grow quickly – players can be all-in after just a few raises and re-raises.

The Flop

After the first betting round ‘the flop’ of 3 community cards is dealt – followed by a second betting round. The turn and river (4th and 5th community cards) are dealt 1 at a time with betting after each – making a total of 4 betting rounds for each hand.

In the fixed betting limit game the bet will double after the turn, in the pot-limit game the minimum bet will be the same size as the big blind. After the flop players may choose to ‘check’ rather than bet – this passes the betting action to the next player.

The Showdown

If the community cards do not show 3 different cards 8 or below at showdown it will not be possible to make a qualifying low hand. In this case the entire pot will go to the player with the highest poker hand using 2 hole cards and 3 community cards.

Where a low is possible the pot is split. The highest poker hand takes half and the lowest poker hand the other half. Each hand is determined separately, meaning that the same hole cards can be used to make a high and a low hand – as long as 2 from a players hand and 3 from the board are used to make each of the separately determined hands.

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