Omaha 8 or Better is a split pot version of regular Omaha Poker.  The rules are the same as Omaha High but with one difference.  In Omaha Hi-Lo, a qualifying low hand will take half the pot.  A qualifying low hand is a five card hand of five unique cards eight or below.  Straights and flushes do not count against low hands.  Aces play both high and low in this game, so the best low hand is the wheel.  (A-2-3-4-5)  Omaha hi-lo is typically played in either a limit or a pot-limit fashion.  For sake of this article, we will focus on limit Omaha hi-lo.

First, remember that in Omaha poker, you must use two cards in your hand and three from the board.  The same holds true in hi-lo, but there is one difference.  You do not have to use the same two cards for both high and low.  For example, let’s say you have A-2-K-Q and the board ran out 3-6-7-K-Q.  You can play your K-Q for two pair to take high, and you can play you’re A-2 to give you the nut low.  Nut low is the term used for the best possible low for a given hand.

Whether you are a beginning player or an experienced poker player, quality starting hand selection is the key to long term success in Omaha hi-lo poker.  The object of the game in Omaha hi-lo poker is to scoop pots.  Scooping a pot occurs when you win both the high and low sides of the pot, and when there are no qualifying lows.  As a result, you need to play hands that give you a decent chance to scoop pots.  You really want hands that have an ace and preferably one or more wheel cards.  Hands containing A-2 or A-3 are best.  A-4 and up start to become a little more tricky and should be played only in the blinds.

In addition, you are looking for cards that are suited and connected in your hand.  In regards to suited cards, you really want cards suited with an ace.  Don’t get in a habit of playing any two suited cards.

Omaha hi-lo is a drawing game.  You will constantly be drawing to either a low, a straight, flush or full house.  As a result, you need to be constantly aware of what is possible on the board.  A rule of thumb in Omaha is that when you are not drawing to the nuts in one or more directions, then you need to get out of the hand.  If you are drawing to a straight and there are three suited cards on board, get out.  If you are drawing and the board pairs, then a full house is likely and you will want to get out.  If you have only 2nd or third nut low and more than one opponent is in the hand, its time to fold.  Playing second best hands will only cost you money.

Let’s talk about the subject of quartering.  When a player is quartered, that means that they have tied another player for one side of the pot.  In a lot of instances in Omaha hi-lo, this tie will occur on the low side of the pot.  When this happens, a player will receive only one-third of the total pot.  When only two or three players are in the pot, a player will actually lose money in a quartered pot.  As you gain experience in hi-lo, you will be able to recognize situations of potential quartering.  I will point out a couple of situation that you will typically encounter.

First, when there are more than three players seeing a flop, there is a higher than normal chance that at least two players are holding an A-2 or A-3.  When the flop hits making A-2 the nut low and multiple players stay in the pot, slow down.  Another instance of quartering will occur when there are four wheel cards on the board.  If you are in a hand with three or more players and the board holds four wheel cards, you are looking at a potential quartering situation.  In some cases you will chop the pot with one or more wheels, but you will likely run into a higher straight or a flush along the way.

Another term you will encounter quite often is the term counterfeited.  When a player is counterfeited in hi-lo, this means that a card has fell on the board that eliminated the ability for the player to make low.  For example, if you hold A-2-10-J and the flop falls A-7-8, your low is counterfeited.  You can only make a low if a fourth low card falls, and it will not be a nut low.  This term can also apply to players whose nut low was eliminated but they were left with a weaker low.   If you held A-2-6-K and the board fell A-7-8, then your nut low would be counterfeited, but you would still hold a weak low.

I mention counterfeiting due to the fact that many beginner players will hold on to their hands after getting counterfeited hoping to hit a second pair or draw to a weaker low.  While you are beginning to learn the game, you need to abandon the hand when you become counterfeited unless you have a redraw to the nut low or a nut high.  A redraw is the term used when referring to a hand that has a possibility to draw to another hand if one hand is counterfeited or a potential higher hand can beat it.  An example would be if you held A-2-4-Q and the flop fell A-5-6.  In this case your nut low was counterfeited but, you also flopped two pair and a three will give you a wheel and a six high straight.

Omaha hi-lo is a little more complex than most game starting out due to the various combination of starting hands and the nuisances of the game.  A solid player will be a lifetime winner at the game, but they need to have a solid understanding of the game.  This article hopefully has given you a solid introduction to Omaha Hi-Lo.  In my next article, I will go over hand values in depth and offer tips to help you learn the game.