Omaha Hi-Lo (8-or-Better)

Objective

Win chips by holding the best high hand, the best qualifying low hand, or both at showdown. The pot is split equally between the best high hand and the best low hand. A single player may win both halves (scoop).

The Basics

Omaha Hi-Lo uses the same four-hole-card, exactly-two-from-hand structure as Omaha, but at showdown the pot is divided between the best traditional high hand and the best qualifying low hand. A low hand qualifies if it contains five unpaired cards all ranked 8 or below. Aces count as low. Straights and flushes do not count against a low hand.

Setup

Same blind structure as Omaha. Each player is dealt 4 hole cards face down. Action preflop starts left of the big blind.

Betting Rounds

1. Preflop — 4 hole cards dealt. Action starts left of the big blind.
2. Flop — Three community cards dealt face up. Action starts left of the dealer.
3. Turn — Fourth community card added. Same action order.
4. River — Fifth community card. Last betting round before showdown.

Bet Sizing

• Preflop and flop use the small bet (equal to the big blind).
• Turn and river use the big bet (2× the small bet).
• Raises are in fixed increments of the applicable bet size.
• Maximum of four bets per street (bet + three raises), unless heads-up.

Key Rules

• A player must use exactly two hole cards and exactly three board cards for each half of the pot — the two cards used for the high hand may differ from the two used for the low hand.
• A low hand requires five unpaired cards ranked 8 or below. Aces play as low. Straights and flushes are ignored for low.
• If no player has a qualifying low hand, the entire pot is awarded to the best high hand.
• The best low hand is the hand with the worst high card, then worst second card, etc. (e.g. A-2-3-4-5 beats A-2-3-4-6).
• A player may use different hole card combinations for their high and low hands.

Common Mistakes

• The board must contain at least three cards ranked 8 or below for any low hand to be possible.
• A player cannot use three hole cards for low and one for high — exactly two hole cards apply to each direction independently.
• A low hand of 8-7-6-5-4 qualifies; 9-2-3-4-5 does not.
• Counterfeiting: a board card that duplicates a low hole card demotes that card's value in the low hand, potentially worsening an otherwise strong low.

At the Table

Four hole cards dealt; exactly two used for high, exactly two (which may differ) used for low, each combined with exactly three board cards.