Once you have studied Omaha Hi-Lo Poker Rules, the next step is to learn Omaha hi-lo hand rankings. In Omaha hi-lo, the pot is divided evenly between the high hand and the low hand.

The high hand ranking is similar to Texas Holdem and Omaha. Keep in mind that the ranking reflects how rare it is to form a hand. Let’s take a look at all the high hand rankings.

Omaha Rules Each player is dealt four cards face down, as opposed to the two cards that are dealt in Texas Hold'em. That is the first variation. Five community cards are then dealt. The best possible lo hand in Omaha Hi Lo is the same as Razz and consists of 5432A, otherwise referred to as the “Wheel”. Lo Omaha hands do not take straights or flushes into consideration. Rules for Playing Omaha Hi/Lo In Omaha Hi/Lo, a marker called ‘the button’ or ‘the dealer button’ indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. Before the game begins, the player immediately clockwise from the button posts the ‘small blind’, the first forced bet. Award a best-hand and low-hand winner if you’re playing Omaha Hi Lo poker. In Omaha Hi Lo poker, there are 2 winners: the player with the best hand, and the player with the lowest hand. Each winner gets half the pot. To win the best-hand portion of the pot, you have to have the highest-ranking poker hand out of all the remaining players.

High Hand Rankings (ordered by increasing value)

High Low Poker Rules

Low and the Eight or Better Qualifier

Not all hands qualify for the low. Furthermore, if no player makes a low hand, the high wins the entire pot. A valid low hand consists of five different cards, so no pair, ranked eight or lower, with the ace counting as the lowest card. Straights and flushes are ignored, so the following hands are valid low hands.

Hands that contain any pair or any card nine to king do not qualify for the low. So the following hands do not count as low.

Low Hand Rankings

In a low hand, the lower the card denominations are, the stronger the hand is. Low hands are evaluated, starting from the highest rank card (remember, the ace counts as the lowest), in a top-down approach. The player with the lowest card from the top wins. If the cards are even, the second card from the top is taken into account, and so on.

For example, consider that Player A has 8♥5♠4♣3♥2♥, and Player B has 8♥6♠4♣2♥A♣. To determine who has the best low, we first compare the first cards starting from the top. As they both have an eight, the second card from the top is examined. Player A has the smallest, the five, so he wins. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Low Hand Examples (ordered by increasing value)

Omaha Hi Lo Poker Strategy

Do you have any questions about Omaha hi-lo starting hands? Or more tips to add to this post? Let us know in the comments section below!