Omaha Hi/Lo is a form of the regular poker game Omaha. In fact, the wagering, the blinds, as well as the postings are totally identical to Omaha poker.

Each Omaha Hi/Lo player sets out to form a 5-card high hand using any 2 of his hole cards in conjunction with only 3 of the 5 community cards. Also, each poker player forms a 5-card low hand whenever possible by using just 2 of his hole cards along with 3 of the 5 community cards. Both the high hand combo and the low hand combo may use the same set of cards, though they do not have to.

Like regular the regular high version of Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo begins with each player being dealt 4 hole cards. The dealer then places 5 cards facing up in the centre of the table. These 5 ‘community' cards all become part of each player's hand, given each contender access to a total of 7 cards from which to build their poker hand.

Omaha High vs. Omaha Hi/Lo
What separates Omaha High from Omaha Hi/Lo is that in the Omaha Hi/Lo version, each poker player has the potential to build not one, but two poker hands, that is, a high and a low hand.

In the game of Omaha Hi/Lo, because you must play 2 cards in your hand, the 2 cards in your hand and 3 on the board must all be 8 or less. Straights and flushes are not counted against you. The best possible 5-card low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5 of any suits. Hands are ranked by beginning with the highest low card. For example, in a hand holding 7, 4, 3, 2, 1, the 7 would be considered the highest low card (lower than 8). Such a hand would lose to one holding a 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

And the Omaha Hi/Lo Winner is...
Come the Omaha Hi/Lo showdown, the pot is divided between the player with the highest hand, and the player with the lowest, that is, should the player with the lowest hand qualify. In order to even qualify for a low hand, a player must have 5 absolutely unique cards, in other words, no pairs. Also, no card higher than an 8 can be in the hand.

 

In a situation in which two players both have low hands and the same highest card, the player with the next highest card wins. A hand having 7-4-3-2-1 beats one with 7-5-4-3-2. It's also important to note that when there's no qualifying low hand, the entire Omaha Hi/Lo pot is awarded to the player with the high hand.