Omaha Hi-Lo: How to Win Half the Pot (Or the Whole Thing)

What is Omaha Hi-Low

Omaha is a collective term for several card games with similar rules. Three key differences between PLO and the more popular NL Hold'em are:

1. The starting hand includes 4 values;

2. The final hand is formed from two player cards and three from the board;

3. The bet amount is limited by the current size of the pot.

The betting rules, hand rankings, and table positions in Hold'em and Omaha are the same.

Sometimes Omaha Hi-Low is referred to as Omaha 8 or PLO8. The eight is the highest possible card for a "low" hand

The main difference between Omaha Hi-Low and the classic version is the ability to take half the pot with the worst hand. This new option makes the gameplay more dynamic. Players with poor starting hands have a chance to participate in the competition rather than fold and wait for the next hand. 

In Omaha Hi-Lo, the holder of the best hand takes half the pot, and the worst hand takes the other half. A "low" hand includes cards no higher than an eight. An ace is considered the lowest value in the deck. For example, a starting hand of 27AA and a flop of 346 ensures a player an A2346 hand. Straights and flushes do not count when forming the worst hand. For instance, with QhKh2s5s and a board of 6s4s7s, the combination 2s4s5s6s7s allows you to claim the lower half of the pot. The best "low" hand in Omaha Hi-Lo Poker is A2345. The worst hand is determined by the highest card. A2346 gives you a 6-low, A2345 a 5-low.

Sometimes, a player gathers both the best and worst hands simultaneously. Here's an example. The player's starting hand is KK45, the board is K36A6. The player simultaneously has:

• A full house KKK66;

• 6-low A3456.

This situation at the table is called a scoop.

What other types of Omaha exist

Pot-Limit Omaha is the basic version of the card game. Most online poker rooms offer it. Omaha Hi-Lo attracts less interest. However, there are other Omaha variations. Let's list them:

• PLO5/PLO6/PLO7. At the start, players receive 5, 6, or 7 hole cards. The final hand includes 2 hand values and 3 from the common board. Aside from the number of cards at the preflop, the rules are the same as in Pot-Limit Omaha.

• Courchevel. At the start of the game, each player receives 5 hole cards. The dealer places 1 community card on the board. Players have a round of betting on the preflop. If two or more opponents continue to battle for the pot, two more cards are placed on the community board. On the turn and river, the game follows classic rules. 

• Drawmaha. Combines elements of Omaha and draw poker. At the start, participants receive 5 closed values. A round of betting occurs on the preflop. The dealer lays out the flop, and players are given a chance to exchange one to three cards. The next rounds follow the usual scheme.

Get your first experience of playing Omaha Hi Lo on PokerBros and other free apps

Spin-offs of Omaha include Oklahoma. It's similar to Pot-Limit Omaha in every way except for the turn and river. On the last two streets, players must fold one card from their starting hand.

What other games have high and low

The worst hand takes half the pot not only in Omaha. Low rules apply in:

• Lowball. The rules of the game do not imply strong hands. The player's task is to collect the worst hand of classic poker. The ace plays as the highest card, and straights and flushes count. Therefore, the absolute nuts in Lowball is the combo 2-3-4-5-7.

• 2-7 Single Draw. The essence of the game is similar to Lowball. Players are dealt 5 cards, with one chance to exchange, after which they need to show their hand to the dealer and opponents. They can replace 1 to 5 values. The best 2-7 single draw hand is 2-3-4-5-7.

• Stud Hi-Lo. Half the pot goes to the strongest hand, half to the weakest. Straights and flushes do not count in the low hand. The ace plays as the lowest card in the deck. The best Stud Hi-Lo hand is A-2-3-4-5.

• Razz. The pot is won by the holder of the worst hand. Straights and flushes are ignored by the rules, so the top hand looks like: A-2-3-4-5.

What does the hand ranking look like in Omaha Hi-Lo

In Omaha Hi-Lo, the best hand takes half the pot, the worst takes the other half. In the first case, classic ranking rules apply. They match those of No-Limit Hold’em and other types of poker. The full list of winning combinations looks like this:

• High Card. For example, the starting hand AKT5 and the board 24689 give the final hand AK986.

• Pair. On the preflop, the player is dealt QJ67. The flop J92 gives the player a pair of jacks.

• Two Pair. For example, the starting hand J982 and the flop J8A give the player jacks and eights. 

• Three of a Kind. On the preflop, the player has AAJ3. The flop A2Q allows them to collect three aces.

• Straight. A starting hand of JT25 and a board of 98Q creates a straight QJT98.

• Flush. On the preflop, the player has AsJs2d8h. The board is Ts4d9sQsAh. Together they form a flush AsQsJsTs9s.

• Full House. The starting hand AKT6 and community cards K624K form a full house KKK66.

• Four of a Kind. On the preflop, the player gets TT26. On the flop TT4, they form four tens.

• Straight Flush. Starting hand 9h8h6s5d and flop JhTh7h give a straight flush JhTh9h8h7h.

• Royal Flush. A hand of AdQd and a board of KdTd2s4sJd provide a royal flush AdKdQdJdTd.

The requirements for the final hand in Omaha are higher than in Hold'em. In NL Hold’em, strong pairs regularly win pots, while in Omaha Hi-Lo, even a straight is often not enough. Aggressively protect vulnerable combinations and move to pot control when you suspect a stronger combination from your opponent.

To claim half the pot with the worst hand, a combination of small values is needed. The demarcation line for combinations is an eight. If a player’s final combination includes cards higher than 8, they cannot claim the low part of the pot. The lower the values in the combination, the higher the chance of taking the lower half of the pot. Omaha Hi-Lo rules ignore straights and flushes. Therefore, the strongest PLO8 combination is A-2-3-4-5. Combinations are ranked from the highest card. Thus A-4-5-6-7 is called “7-low”, while A-3-4-5-6 is “6-low.”

In Pot-Limit Omaha, the highest priority is given to hands with potential to form straights or flushes. In Omaha Hi-Lo, low-value combinations like A234, A235 are highly valued

Sometimes a player receives both the best and worst combinations simultaneously. As a result, they take both halves of the pot. For example, a starting hand of A2K6 and a board of 637KK gives the player a full house K-K-K-6-6 and a low of A-2-3-6-7. Both combinations provide a good chance of taking the pot entirely.

How an Omaha Hi-Lo Poker hand is played

The rules of Omaha Hi-Lo are almost identical to No Limit Hold’em. Omaha is played with a 52-card deck. You can have between two and nine players at a table. Before the game begins, two players—the big and small blinds—make mandatory bets. The big blind is equal to 1% of the maximum stack allowed for seating. The small blind is half of the big blind. In the next hand, other players post the mandatory bets. Movement is clockwise. The count starts from the player on the button. 

A lot in Omaha depends on the player's position. The seat at the table determines the turn order. The later a player makes a decision, the more information they have about their opponents' hands. Let's look at player positions at a 6-max table.

• UTG. Under the Gun. The player always acts first on the preflop and often on the postflop. The lack of position forces a narrow play range. Sometimes UTG is referred to as EP or Early Position.

• MP. Middle Position. Makes decisions second after UTG. Can slightly widen the hand range. 

• CO. Cut-off. One of the most profitable seats at the table. The positional advantage allows for opening less strong hands.

• BTN. Button. The best position in Omaha Hi-Lo. The player in BTN has the final say both preflop and postflop. The position allows them to steal blinds from SB and BB.

• SB. Small Blind. Posts a mandatory preflop bet. Almost always acts first.

• BB. Big Blind. Posts the mandatory big blind preflop. Acts without position against everyone except the small blind.

A 9-max table is supplemented with several early and middle positions. They are denoted as: UTG+1, UTG+2, MP1. 

On the preflop, each player receives 4 hole cards. If a player finds their hand promising, they will raise. Other players may respond: with a call, 3-bet, or fold. If two or more players contest the pot, the game moves to the flop. 

At the start of the round, the dealer deals 3 community cards. The participants in the hand evaluate the strength of existing combinations or the potential to complete a draw. The first player may bet or check. In the latter case, the player remains in the hand but does not invest money in the pot. The second player can check back or bet.

On the turn, the dealer deals a fourth community card, followed by another betting round. On the river, players receive the final community card and make their final bets. When betting concludes, opponents reveal their final hands and determine the winner. 

At any stage of the hand, a player can bet, see their opponent fold, and take the pot

In Omaha Hi-Lo, the pot is divided by specific rules. For example, Player A takes half the pot with the best hand. Player B and Player C show an identical low on showdown and take 1/4 of the pot each. If there are three holders of equal hands, they receive 1/6 of the total pot each.

Life is complicated for a player by the "replacement" rule as well. If a board card matches one of the small cards in the starting hand, it cannot be used in the final hand. Here's an example. Suppose a player enters with JT32. The flop is A45. The player captures the best low and claims half the pot. The turn is a 9. The card does not change the situation, unlike a three on the river. It replaces the player’s card denomination. The player loses the ability to use three in forming the low and must drop their hand.

How to play Omaha Hi-Lo: basic recommendations

Dividing the pot into two halves changes the game strategy and starting hand requirements. In Omaha Hi-Lo, preference is given to versatile combinations. The player must have a chance to achieve both the best and worst hands at once. Above the rest are starting hands with aces and small cards: A234, A245, and so on. Do not play combinations with middle values like 8765. Even if the player gets a low, it often loses to weaker opponent combinations. The top part of the pot rarely comes from a starting hand like 8765 because opponents catch better combinations on the late streets.

Omaha Hi-Lo is distinguished from its classic version by postflop tactics. Occasionally, a player should fold nut hands on the flop. If community cards leave only a chance to compete for half the pot, it’s wiser to leave the game. Don't invest in a vulnerable hand for a share of the pot. Final success often doesn’t justify the effort. You should definitely not play draw hands to take half the pot. For example, with AQJ7 on a 56T board, a player has a chance to get a low. However, the opponent may show a better hand on showdown. The player cannot claim the upper half of the pot.

Preflop in Omaha Hi-Lo plays a decisive role. A reasonable choice of starting hands often determines the final success

Where Pot Limit Omaha tournaments take place

Most online poker tournaments are held according to No-Limit Texas Hold'em rules. Pot-Limit Omaha follows with a significant gap. PLO tournaments are organized by: PokerOK, PokerStars, Winamax Poker, Pokerdom, RedStar Poker. The most attention is paid to PLO on PokerOK: Over 100 MTTs are held daily on Omaha. Occasionally, the poker room organizes separate festivals such as the Omaholic Series with a $10,000,000 guarantee. However, Omaha Hi-Lo tournaments are not regularly scheduled. They are recalled during major series such as SCOOP.

In 2025, PokerStars held the Spring Championship of Online Poker. Over $60,000,000 was played in 380 tournaments. Eighteen events were dedicated to Omaha Hi-Lo. In the largest, $100,000 was played. A similar number of PLO8 tournaments were included in the WCOOP schedule.

Omaha Hi-Lo is also not ignored at the most prestigious live series, the World Series of Poker. Six of the 100 events at WSOP-2025 were dedicated to Omaha Hi-Lo. The largest tournament was won by Philipp Sternheimer. He left 385 opponents behind and took $763,087.

Why NL Hold’em is better than Omaha Hi-Lo Poker

The key advantage of No-Limit Texas Hold'em is its popularity. For example,  the daily schedule on PokerOK includes 1,000 tournaments, most of which are played under the rules of NL Hold'em. Less than 10% of events are allocated to all variations of Omaha. PLO8 tournaments are unavailable on PokerOK. A similar situation exists in cash: it's easier for a Hold'em fan to find a table on any platform.

Other arguments in favor of Hold'em are:

• Prize pools. At WSOP-2025, the winner of the main Hold'em tournament received $10,000,000. The champion of the largest Omaha Hi-Lo event received $763,087. Comparing the status of games in online poker is even more pointless. No room regularly holds Omaha Hi-Lo tournaments. PLO8 is only remembered during large online festivals like SCOOP. However, guarantees there are much lower than in Hold'em events.

• Variance. Hold'em has less pronounced losing streaks. In Omaha, due to the frequent play for stacks with 60:40 odds, sharp declines of several buy-ins occur regularly. A professional has more control in No-Limit Hold'em than in Omaha Hi-Lo. Therefore, a more substantial bankroll is needed for PLO.

• Learning. There are significantly more materials on Texas Hold'em than on Omaha. In recent years, the number of PLO courses has been growing, but the advantage still lies with NL Holdem.

Winning a PLO8 tournament brought Philipp Sternheimer a solid $763,087. However, it pales in comparison to the $10,000,000 prize of the ME WSOP champion

We recommend beginners start with NL Hold'em tournaments. Laying a strong foundation is helped by the FF Start course. It examines: basic tournament strategies, adaptation to different types of opponents, playing with a short stack, the basics of poker mathematics. You can apply theory in practice using a special simulator.