If you want to add another challenge, try an Omaha Hi/Lo game. Here each pot is split into two, and a player can win half by having the highest poker hand (like normal) while the other half is available to the player with the lowest qualifying hand, which is made from the lowest five ranked cards from 1 to 8 (where an ace is 1). 5, 4, 3, 2, ace would be the lowest ( and winning hand), while 8.

Omaha Hi Lo Poker Hand ranking

Omaha Hi/Lo - Hand Ranking

Once you have learnt How to Play Omaha Hi/Lo, it is important to understand the Hand Rankings. In Omaha Hi/Lo, the regular poker hand ranking is followed for the high hand whereas a set of rules are defined for making the low hand.

Hand Ranking for the High Hand:

Royal Flush A royal flush is an ace high straight flush.

Straight Flush Five cards of the same suit in numerical order.

Four of a Kind (Quads) Quads are four cards of equal rank/any suit.

Full House or Full Boat Three of a kind and a Pair.

Flush Five cards of the same suit.

Straight* Five cards in numerical order.

Three of a Kind / Set Three cards of the same rank.

Two Pair Two different pairs.

One Pair Two cards of the same rank.

High Card The hand with the highest card(s) wins.

* You can make 10♥ J♦ Q♣ K♠ A♥(ten-to-ace straight) or form A♠ 2♥ 3♦ 4♠ 5♦ (ace-to-five straight) with an Ace. But you cannot form K♠ A♣ 2♦ 3♠ 4♥ (King-to-four straight)

Criteria for making a Low Hand:

A low Hand is any combination of five cards (2 hole cards + 3 community cards) of value equal to or less than 8. In simple terms, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 forms the Low Hands where A is taken as of value 1.

1. There must be 3 community cards of value less than or equal to 8.

2. None of the cards in a Low Hand can be paired. E.g. A♠ 2♣ 2♥ 4♣ 8♠ can’t be a Low hand because of the pair 2♣ 2♥.

3. Low hands are counted from the top to down. Lower the card denominations, stronger the Low Hand. For example: If player A has 5♥6♦9♥K♣ hole cards and player B has A♠5♠9♦Q♣ hole cards and the community cards are 2♠3♣4♥10♠9♣, then player B with A♠2♠3♣4♥5♠ will win over player A with 2♠3♣4♥5♥6♦.

4. Flushes and straights are not considered for the low hand, meaning the best possible low hand is A-2-3-4-5 regardless of suits.

5. Suits do not count for a low hand. Hence, the players making the same low hand equally split the low half of the pot. (Winning half of the Low pot, and nothing from the High pot is known as being quartered.)

To help understand the rankings of low hands, a list of 10 qualifying low hands (not a complete list of all low hands) is given below from the least powerful to the most strong.

1. 8-7-6-5-4
2. 8-7-6-5-3
3. 8-6-4-2-A
4. 8-4-3-2-A
5. 7-6-5-4-2
6. 7-6-5-2-A
7. 7-5-4-3-2
8. 6-5-4-3-2
9. 6-4-3-2-A
10. 5-4-3-2-A

A low hand is named as per its highest card. Let’s have a look at some specific low hands:

Five Low or Wheel

Six Low

Seven Low

Eight Low

In case, two or more players make a low hand with same denomination high card, the 2nd highest card is evaluated to determine the best low hand. For example- 7-5-4-3-2 (Seven-Five-Low) will beat 7-6-5-2-A (Seven-Six-Low).

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Omaha Hi/Lo (8 or better) is currently the most popular split-pot poker game in the world. It is important to understand the rules of Omaha before playing Omaha Hi/Lo. While Omaha is very similar to Texas Hold'em, many new Omaha players get confused by the 'must use two hole cards and only two hole cards' rule.
The rules for Omaha Hi/Lo are the same as the rules for Omaha Hi, except that the pot is split between the high and and the low hand. The low hand cannot have a card higher than 8. If there is no legal low hand, the entire pot goes to the highest hand. So the only way a low hand is possible is if the board contains unique cards 8 or lower (Ace counts as low). If the board is K 4 8 9 10, no low hand is possible. If the board is Q 2 7 6 9, a low hand is possible and Ace-Three would be the 'nut low'.
The goal in Omaha Hi/Lo is to scoop the entire pot. Although winning half of the pot is better than nothing, large profits at this game come from winning the entire pot. Effectively scooping pots requires understanding how to win the low side of the pot, as well as what hands work as quality starting hands.
The Low
For many new players, the most confusing part of Omaha Hi/Lo is determining the nut-low. In this game, straights and flushes do not affect the low. Thus, the best possible low hand is a wheel (5432A). Furthermore, it is important to remember that the low hands are counted from the top down. A player with 8432A (an 8 low) would lose to a player with 76543 (a 7 low). This surprises most players who instinctively think that 8432A wins due to the ace as the lowest card.


If there is no possible low hand (or if no one holds a low hand), then the person with the best high hand wins the entire pot. Let's look at a few hand examples to better understand some low situations.
Example #1

This is a split pot. Player #1 wins the high side of the pot with AAA33, and Player #2 wins the low side of the pot with 6432A. In this instance, Player #2 has the nut low which means no one could possibly beat Player #2 for the low, only tie. Player #1's low is 8653A. Player #1 would use A5 from his hand and 368 from the board (he also could use 35 from his hand and A68 from the board).
Example #2

The flop (754) gave Player #1 (who holds A2) the nut-low. However, on the turn, Player #1's nut-low was 'counterfeited.' This happened when an ace appeared on the turn, which gave all players the opportunity to have an ace for a low. Now, Player #2 has 5432A for a low, which beats Player #1's 7542A. So in this example, Player #2's dream comes true, and he 'scoops' the entire pot.
Example #3

First, notice that the flop put Player #2 in big trouble after he flopped the second-nut straight (with his J7). Player #1 flopped the nut straight (with his QJ), which put him in position to win a nice pot off of Player #2.
However, the turn and river bail out Player #2 and allow him to win half of the pot at the showdown. In conjunction with the board's 854, Player #2 was able to make a low hand with his 72 to win half the pot. Sometimes a miracle low is what can save a player from losing a lot of money with a bad high. This example illustrates the importance of holding two cards to a low (something that Player #1 did not have with a deceitfully weak AKQJ).
Example #4

Player #1 scoops the entire pot with his full house (KKQQQ). There is no low hand. There are only two low cards on the board, so it is impossible to make a low hand (remember: you must always use three cards from the board!) While it seems that Player #2 has an amazing low hand, he in fact holds no low at all.
Starting Hands
In Omaha Hi/Lo, it is important to hold a strong starting hand. Players need to have a hand that is capable of scooping the entire pot. This means hands that work great in Omaha hi (such as AKQJ or JT98) lose a lot of value in Hi/Lo due to their inability to make a low.
In general, the tightest player at any Omaha Hi/Lo table is likely to be a winning player. Starting hand selection is so critical that demonstrating patience is perhaps the single most important skill to have. Hands that may seem tempting to play (such as A49T) should be folded due to their propensity for making a non-nut low.
The best starting hand in Omaha Hi/Lo is AA23 double-suited. Other very playable hands include (but are not limited to): A234, AAxx, A2xx, A345, A36K, 2345, KQ23. Most winning Omaha Hi/Lo players are very careful about the number of A3xx hands they play. This hand is not nearly as good as it looks, and can often lead to several lost bets after making the second-nut low.
It is important to note the importance of the ace in Omaha Hi/Lo. An ace works as the best card on both ends of the pot. It is the key card in making a nut low, and is also a very important card to have in the high side of the pot for its value as a kicker. Some very famous poker players (Scotty Nguyen for example) have a theory that no Omaha Hi/Lo hand is playable unless it has an ace. Obviously this strategy is a little extreme. But for new players, it may be wise to develop a habit of folding most hands that do not contain an ace.
Position is just as important in Omaha Hi/Lo as it is in Texas hold'em. This means that borderline hands (such as JJ24) should only be played in late position in an un-raised pot.
Flop Tips
Most of the time, it is a poor decision for a player to draw to a low after the flop unless they already have the best four to a low. For example, after a flop of A5K, one should not draw for the low unless they are holding 23xx in the pocket. A lot of the profit in playing Omaha Hi/Lo comes from winning chips off of weak players who draw to non-nut lows. Drawing to a low that isn't the nut-low is almost a guaranteed way to lose in Omaha Hi/Lo.
Another common losing mistake in Omaha Hi/Lo is drawing to a running low. For example, most players holding A2xx enter the pot expecting to make the nut-low. However, if the flop comes 8KQ, these players are now reliant on completing a running low-draw just to win half of the pot. These players should fold to a bet. It is a bad move to purposefully draw to two cards for a low.
Being Quartered
Being 'quartered' is a very key concept in Omaha Hi/Lo. Let's look a hand example of where a player only wins a quarter of the pot:

Omaha Hi Lo Poker Best Starting Hands

Notice that both players have used their ace-threes to make the nut-low. This means the low-pot is split between the two players. However, on the high side, Player #1 has a pair of kings which beats Player #2's ace high.
Therefore, Player #1 gets 50% of the pot for making the best hi hand, as well as an additional 25% of the pot for his share of the low pot. Player #1 has 'quartered' Player #2 by winning 75% of the pot. Quartering opponents is a very important ingredient in becoming a winning Omaha Hi/Lo player.
Of even more importance is the ability to keep the pot small when you realize that you may be quartered. If you are Player #2 in this example, you need to understand that you may stand to only win 25% of the pot. Thus, when Player #1 bets, do not raise and reraise with your nut-low. Just call.

Next Article: Tournaments Overview

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