Omaha Hi-Lo is also called Omaha High-Low, Omaha 8-or-Better, or O8. It is a very entertaining and popular poker game globally. Players who are proficient in this game would know all the rules by heart. However, beginners might find it confusing at times.
One such rule which can be confusing is when the lo hand occurs. Even if players know that a qualifying lo-hand is needed, they might not know how to qualify. If you are struggling with the same issue, read on to understand how the lo-hand works.
Omaha Hi-Lo Rules
Omaha Hi-Lo is a split-pot poker game where at showdown, the pot will be split in half. One-half of the pot will be won by the player who has the best hand. The other half will be given to the person who has the best low hand.
You will not need any qualifying high-hand, which means one person will always have the high hand. However, for the low hand, you will have to qualify. Only the player who qualifies this hand will win the low-hand side of the pot.
If one end of the pot sees a tie, then that end of the pot will again be divided into half. Suppose the game has one winning high hand and two low hands. Then the high-hand winner will get 50% of the pot while the two low-hand winners will get 25% of the pot each.
Low-Hand Qualifier
In the Omaha-Hi-Lo, 8 is the important number. If you have a hand with five cards, all the cards need to be less than or equal to 8 for playing low. The wheel, which means “A 2 3 4 5 ,” is the best low-hand.
One of the worst low-hands that you can get is “4 5 6 7 8″ . When playing Omaha, the first card that will be counted is the highest one in your hand. This means if you have a hand consisting of “A 2 3 4 8” against a player having the hand “3 4 5 6 7”, then the other player would win.
Another very important qualifying rule of the game is that your hand should not have any pairs. This means a hand like “A A 2 3 5” does not qualify for the low hand.
Summing Up
Having five unpaired cards that are eight and low will qualify you for the low-hand. You can win only if your highest card is smaller than the opponent’s highest card. The lower your hand, the better chances you have of winning the low hand.
