Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Omaha poker high low

Omaha poker high low is a split-pot variant of Omaha in which the pot is divided between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand.

Low qualifier
8-or-better: five different ranks all 8 or lower; aces count low, straights and flushes ignored for low.2
Hand construction
Each player uses exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards.1
Pot split
If no one qualifies low, the high hand wins the whole pot.2

Key points

  • Also called Omaha/8, Omaha Eight or Better, or Omaha HiLo.1
  • Each player makes both a high and a low hand at showdown using the same two hole cards and three board cards.1
  • Aces are low for the low hand, and straights and flushes do not disqualify a low hand.2

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Omaha poker rules hi-lo — the ruleset for the same game, not a different game term
  • Omaha poker hands — hand construction and ranking in Omaha generally, not specifically the high-low split variant
Poker 4-card Omaha poker A variant where each player receives four hole cards instead of the usual four. Poker High straight poker A poker variant that uses only high hand rankings, no low hand. Poker Omaha poker hand rankings The standard hand rankings used in all Omaha poker games. Poker Draw poker A family of poker games where players can discard and draw replacement cards. Poker Quads poker A poker variant that awards bonuses for four-of-a-kind hands. Poker Pl o poker rules PLO, or Pot-Limit Omaha

Sources

  1. Omaha hold 'em en.wikipedia.org Provides the definition and hand construction rule for Omaha high low.
  2. Omaha Poker - card game rules pagat.com Details the 8-or-better low qualifier and the split-pot mechanics.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.