How to Play the Low in Omaha Hi LoOmaha, a more mathematical, slower and more calculating game that the far more prevalent Texas Holdem, is in fact most popular in its Hi Lo online form. The rules of betting and play do not differ between Omaha limit Hi and Omaha limit Hi Lo, and the only difference being that the pot can be split between two winners, one boasting the highest hand, and another boasting the lowest hand. Because hands are made from both hole cards and community cards, the same winner may take both the Hi and the Lo pot winnings…known as scooping the pot.
All winning hands in Omaha play are made from three community cards, and from two hole cards, and the every player will make both a Hi and a Low hand from the available cards.
When making a Low hand, pairs are in play and render a hand ineligible for the pot, but straights and flushes are not observed. The lowest possible Omaha low hand is ace, 2, 3, 4, regardless of suit, and the highest possible high card is an eight. If no player can make a hand with a lower high card than an eight, the pot is taken in its entirety by the Hi hand winner. The highest (worst) low hand possible is 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 regardless of suit.
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Byron Badd, Gambling911.com
Originally published September 14, 2007 11:14 pm ET
