Omaha Hi-Lo Rules - How to Play Omaha Hi-Lo (PLO8)

Ready to expand your poker horizons and branch out away from playing the straightforward No-limit Hold'em? Want even more action and excitement than standard Pot-limit Omaha? You're in the right place!

Omaha Hi-lo (also known as Omaha 8, Omaha 8s or Better and PLO8) is an ever-growing game that adds even more craziness to the already chaotic Omaha variant.

Here's an easy-to-follow, full rundown of the rules of Omaha Hi-lo so you can learn how to play PLO8.

What is Omaha Hi Lo Poker?

If you know how to play pot-limit Omaha (or "Omaha high"), you are well on your way to learning how to play Omaha hi-lo.

As the name suggests, Omaha hi-lo is a "split-pot" version of Omaha poker in which players compete for both the "high" and "low" halves of the pot. Omaha hi-lo is usually played with fixed-limit betting and often turns up in "mixed game" formats like H.O.R.S.E. (in which Omaha hi-lo is the "O") or the popular 8-game mix.

Pot-limit and no-limit versions of Omaha hi-lo are also popular, especially online either as cash games or tournaments.

How to Play Omaha Hi Lo Poker

The basic rules for Omaha hi-lo are very similar to pot-limit Omaha. See "How to Play Omaha Poker" for an overview of how to play Omaha poker, which is itself a variation on regular Texas hold'em.

Omaha Hi-Lo Rules

• Blinds
• Cards
• Betting
• Winning the Pot
• Hand Rankings

Blinds
As in No-limit Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo adopts a traditional blinds system. The player one place to the left (clockwise) of the dealer is the small blind and the player two to the left of the dealer is the big blind.

Cards
Here's where things start to change a little bit. Each player is dealt four cards, not the conventional two. From these four cards, players must use exactly two of their hole cards and three from the five community cards to make a five-card poker hand.

You're looking to make the best high hand and the best low hand from all the cards at your disposal. The cards that make your low hand don't have to be the same ones used to make your high hand - as long as you use just two of your hole cards and three community cards.

Betting
In regular Omaha Hi-Lo poker, there is no limit to the betting so players can go all-in or raise as much as they want. In PLO8 or pot-limit variants of the game, as the name suggests there is a limit to how much you can raise or bet. This adds an interesting dynamic, as players get better odds to call.

Winning the Pot
In reference to the game's name, there are two pots to be one each hand: the high pot and the low pot. These are made up of all of the chips in the middle - with each pot to be won consisting of half the total chips committed in the hand.

The high pot works the same as in Hold'em, with the best (conventional) 5-card hand taking it. The low pot is won by the player who can make the lowest five-card hand possible - E.g. Ax2x3x4x5x would be the nuts. Suit is not relevant in the low pot and to qualify for the low half of the pot, you must have five different cards between an ace (ace is low for the low pot and high for the high pot) and an 8.

It can get tricky if either the high or low pots are split among multiple players. For instance, if three players all make the same high hand, the high half of the pot is distributed between the three of them while the low half of the pot is awarded to the player with the best low hand.

Hand Rankings
Hand rankings for the high pot are the same as Hold'em poker, with a Royal Flush being the best possible hand, a Straight Flush being the second best, four-of-a-kind the third best and so on.

For the low pot, the best possible low hand is Ax2x3x4x5x, while the worst hand possible that still qualifies for the low pot is 4x5x6x7x8x.

Omaha Hi-Lo Gameplay

In terms of gameplay and how a typical hand of Omaha Hi-Lo unfolds, here is a quick breakdown. Much of it is a similar format to that of No-Limit Hold'em.

• Preflop
• Flop
• Turn
• River
• Showdown

Preflop
Preflop action is as expected. Once the cards are dealt (four for each player), preflop betting takes place starting with the player in the Under the Gun (one to the left of the big blind going clockwise) position. It then proceeds clockwise round the table until the betting ends. In pot-limit variants, players cannot bet or raise more than the size of the pot.

Flop
Three community cards are dealt on the flop and betting begins once more. This time, the betting starts with the player closest to the left of the button (clockwise) - which would be the small blind if they haven't previously folded.

Turn
A turn card is dealt to the middle of the table, now meaning four community cards are displayed. Another round of betting commences starting with the player closest to the left of the button.

River
The final community card is dealt, the river, meaning all five community cards are now out. The final round of betting begins, again with the player nearest to the left of the button.

Showdown
Once the betting ends, it's time for showdown! This is where all the remaining players left in the hand show their cards and a winner of the high and low pots are determined. While you can muck a hand and choose to not show your cards, this is less common in Hi-Lo games as usually, a player has at least a small chance of winning one of the pots, thus mucking would be detrimental.

The player/s with the best high and low hands, using exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards, will win the respective pots.

Hand Rankings Breakdown

Given the greater complexity of Hi-Lo Omaha compared to some other variants, we thought it was important to go into a bit more detail about hand rankings and break down what beats what. .

Best High Hands in Omaha Hi-Lo

You might know these already, but here are the best high hands in Omaha Hi-Lo poker games. They follow the same format as in Texas Hold'em, with the same hand rankings. As such, an ace is considered both high or low for your high hand in Omaha Hi-Lo.

Best Low Hands in Omaha Hi-Lo

Now for the trickier part, the low hands. The best possible low are the five cards from an ace (low) to a five. An ace is considered to be a low card for your low hand in Omaha Hi-Lo.

Unlike some other mixed games, making a straight or a flush does not impact your low hand. In some games, the aim is to get the best possible low hand without making an actual poker hand. For instance, in 2-7 Triple Draw, the best possible hand is 2x3x4x5x7x, assuming all cards aren't the same suit. If all cards are the same suit, your low hand will be a flush - which is very weak. This is not the case, though, in Omaha Hi-Lo.

Below is a table of the best low hands in Omaha Hi-Lo poker.

Best Omaha Hi-Lo Tips and Strategies

Ready to conquer the world of Omaha Hi-Lo poker? Let us help you out! Here are some of the best tips and strategies for the game, so hopefully you can start dominating at the tables.

Top 3 Omaha Hi-Lo Poker Tips

1. Don't leave home without an ace
2. Bet small with the nuts
3. Bet big with the nut high AND nut low

1. Don't leave home without an ace

An ace in Omaha Hi-Lo is even more powerful than usual, given it's the best card for both high and low hands. Unless you have great potential to make a strong high hand, it's recommended to not play many hands unless you have an ace and another low card (below a 9) to ensure you have a realistic opportunity to compete for the low pot.

Remember, regardless of how strong your high hand is, if you only have a high hand come showdown, you can only win half the pot (assuming at least one of your opponents makes a low hand). Taking this further, some pros even recommend only playing starting hands with and ace and a deuce.

2. Bet small with the nuts

At showdown, if you have either the nut high or the nut low (but not both), it's tempting to bet big to try get maximum value. However, in Omaha 8, this is somewhat counter intuitive. If you bet big with either a nutted high or nutted low hand, all you will likely do is drive out any weaker hands that you beat from calling, and only get called by players who have other nutted hands.

This means most of the time, the most you'll be able to win is either just the high half of the total pot or the low half. By betting small and keeping other players in, you'll win half the pot plus half of whatever they have also contributed.

3. Bet big with the nut high AND nut low

Alternatively, if you have the nuts for both the high and low pots (E.g. a hand like A♥2♥3♥4♥5♥ that gives you the lowest possible low and a straight-flush high) you should be big. This is because you can expect to get callers from other players who also have strong hands - like the nut low as well.

The difference this time is that at worst, you'll win the entire high pot and split the low pot. Let's say you get called by one player who also has the nut low but a weak high hand that you beat. In this case, you'll win 75% of the total pot (50% from the high and 25% from the low). Therefore, any extra chips that you can get added to the pot will be split 75-25 in your favor.

Best Omaha Hi-Lo Strategies

Ready to conquer the world of Omaha Hi-Lo poker? Let us help you out! Here are some of the best tips and strategies for the game, so hopefully you can start dominating at the tables.

Top Omaha Hi-Lo Poker Strategies

Play the best Omaha Hi-Lo starting hands
Like in any format of poker, playing only the strongest starting hands will give you the best possible chance to improve your win rate. Starting hands give you a solid foundation to build on from the rest of the hand, and it means you're less likely to always just be chasing speculative, unlikely draws to make a decent hand.

It's important to know some of the best starting hands first, before you can implement this strategy. So, below are some hands in Omaha Hi-Lo that gives you a better chance of winning the pot(s) based on their strength.

The Best Starting Hands
AxAx2x3x
KxKx2x3x
AxKx2♣3♣

Best High Starting Hands
These are some of the best Omaha Hi-Lo starting hands in terms of winning the high pot. Of course, if you're double suited (meaning two of your four cards are the same suit, while the other two are share a different suit) your hand is even stronger, as you have more flush possibilities.

AxAxKxKx
AxAxQxQx
KxKxQxQx
AxAxJx10x
10xJxQxKx

Best Low Starting Hands
AxAx2x3x
AxAx2x4x
AxKx2x3x
Ax2x3x4x
2x3x4x5x

Where to Play Omaha Hi-Lo for Real Money

Many poker sites offer Omaha Hi-Lo or various other variations of the game, so you can easily play it online for real money. Our top pick for the best site to play Omaha Hi-Lo is PokerStars, but 888 and Sky Poker (for those in a region where it's accessible) are other good options.

Play Omaha Hi-Lo on PokerStars

There are an abundance of Omaha Hi-Lo games available to play on PokerStars. The range of its offering is why it's our no.1 choice to play the poker variant. Here are the main formats you can play Omaha Hi-Lo in on PokerStars:

• Cash Games
• Tournaments
• Tournament Series

Cash Games
Starting at the lowest micro stakes to highroller and VIP tables, Omaha Hi-Lo cash games are widely available on PokerStars. Given the huge player pool of the site, you're likely to find a cash game at the stakes you want to play. What's more, with a range of daily challenges/leaderboards, you can get even more out of your play - including cash bonuses and tournament tickets.

Tournaments
While they aren't super frequent, PokerStars still does offer several daily Omaha Hi-Lo tournaments throughout the weekly calendar. Like cash games, these start at the lowest stakes, but if you're an accomplished player you can also buyin to Omaha Hi-Lo tournaments at the larger buyin end.

Tournament Series
SCOOP and WCOOP are staple PokerStars series, and two of the largest online poker tournament series around. As such, Omaha Hi-Lo events are almost always included in abundance, with low, medium and high buyin variations of each event. This means you can get involved in the Omaha action and potentially win huge amounts, given the boosted number of participants that play in these events.

Omaha Hi-Lo Poker FAQs

Must Have Rooms

888poker

Editor's rating

4.9

$8 FREE No Deposit Needed + 100% up to $1,000 T&C

Key features

• Tournament calendar with a wide range of buy-ins starting as low as 1 cent
• Generous promotions and bonuses
• Good traffic for cash games

GGPoker

Editor's rating

4.9

Get $100 in Rewards OR a Matched Deposit Bonus up to $600 T&C

Key features

• Software includes built-in Heads Up Display
• Integrated tournament staking
• Matched deposit bonus of 100% up to $600

partypoker

Editor's rating

5.0

Up to $30 of Free Play + 100% Up To $600 T&C

Key features

• One of the most popular and trusted online poker brands
• Mobile and desktop poker games
• Large player base