poker · Global

Omaha Hi-Lo

Also known as Omaha 8-or-Better · Omaha High-Low Split · Omaha/8 · O8 · Hi-Lo Omaha · Eight or Better

Omaha Hi-Lo (officially Omaha 8-or-Better, and often written Omaha/8 or O8) is the split-pot version of Omaha poker. You are dealt four hole cards and, just like regular Omaha, you must use exactly two of them plus exactly three of the five community cards at showdown. The twist is that the pot is split in two: half goes to the best high hand and half goes to the best qualifying low hand — a low made of five different cards all ranked eight or lower (which is where 8-or-better gets its name). The same player can win both halves, which is called scooping. Because you can use a different pair of hole cards for your high and your low, the best starting hands are the ones that can plausibly win both ways. Play Omaha Hi-Lo online free right here against friends or smart bots, learn the qualifying-low rule and the all-important two-plus-three rule, and chase the scoop — no real money, no signup, just chips and the showdown. On Love Card Games, Omaha Hi-Lo runs inside our Dealer's Poker table: open the table, pick the Omaha Hi-Lo (8-or-Better) variant, and play.

2–9 players · free · no download · no signup

How to play Omaha Hi-Lo

Open the Dealer's Poker table on Love Card Games and choose the Omaha Hi-Lo (8-or-Better) variant.
Take your seat and post the blind when it is your turn; the button (dealer) rotates clockwise each hand.
Receive your four hole cards face down and bet pre-flop — fold, call, or raise.
Bet through the flop (3 community cards), the turn (1 card), and the river (1 card) as the shared board fills out.
Build your hand knowing you must use exactly two of your four hole cards plus exactly three board cards — and you can use a different two for your low than for your high.
At showdown, the best high hand takes half the pot and the best qualifying low (five unpaired cards, all eight or lower) takes the other half; win both for a scoop.
If no low qualifies, the best high hand scoops the whole pot. Pass the button and start the next hand.

Omaha Hi-Lo rules

Objective

Win chips by taking the high half of the pot, the low half, or both halves (a scoop). The high hand uses standard poker rankings, weakest to strongest: high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush. The low hand is the best five-card hand made entirely of cards ranked eight or lower, with no pair — the lower the high card of that low, the better. As in all Omaha, every hand you make must be built from exactly two of your four hole cards plus exactly three of the five shared community cards.

The deck and the deal

Omaha Hi-Lo is played with one standard 52-card deck, 2 to 9 players. A button marks the dealer position and rotates one seat clockwise each hand. The player to the left of the button posts the small blind and the next player posts the big blind. Each player is dealt four hole cards face down, one at a time clockwise. The five community cards are dealt later — three on the flop, one on the turn, one on the river — and are shared by everyone.

The two-plus-three rule (carries over from Omaha)

As in every form of Omaha, you must use exactly two of your four hole cards together with exactly three of the five board cards — never one, three, or all four. You cannot play the board. This applies to both the high hand and the low hand. The key freedom in Hi-Lo is that you may use a different pair of hole cards for your high than you use for your low; they do not have to be the same two cards.

What qualifies as a low (8-or-better)

A low hand needs five different card ranks, all eight or lower, with no pair. Aces count as low (so the best possible low is A-2-3-4-5, called a wheel or the nut low), and straights and flushes do not hurt a low hand. If no player can make five unpaired cards of eight-or-lower using two hole cards and three board cards, there is no qualifying low and the high hand scoops the entire pot. To compare two lows, read them from the highest card down: the hand whose highest card is lower wins, breaking ties by the next card. For example, 8-6-4-2-A beats 8-6-5-3-2 because after the matching eight and six, the four beats the five.

How to play — the betting rounds

Omaha Hi-Lo follows the same four-round structure as Hold'em and Omaha. Pre-flop: after the four hole cards are dealt, the player to the left of the big blind acts first and can fold, call, or raise. Flop: three community cards are dealt face up, then a betting round starting left of the button. Turn: a fourth community card is dealt, then another betting round. River: a fifth and final community card is dealt, then the last betting round. If two or more players remain after the river, the hand goes to showdown. Betting is most commonly Pot-Limit, where the maximum raise equals the current size of the pot.

Showdown and splitting the pot

At showdown the remaining players reveal their cards. The best high hand takes half the pot and the best qualifying low takes the other half, each built under the two-plus-three rule. If one player holds both the best high and the best low, they scoop the whole pot. If no low qualifies, the best high hand wins everything. When two players tie for a half (for example, two identical lows), that half is split again between them — which can leave an odd chip awarded to one seat by table rule. Chips here have no cash value; this is a free, social, no-real-money game.

Where it lives: the Dealer's Poker table

Omaha Hi-Lo runs inside our Dealer's Poker (Dealer's Choice) table on Love Card Games, the same engine that deals our other community-card variants. To play Hi-Lo specifically, choose Omaha Hi-Lo (8-or-Better) as the variant for the hand — the table then deals four hole cards, enforces the two-plus-three rule, and splits the pot between the best high and any qualifying low for you. The flop-turn-river betting structure is shared across all variants, so the controls and pace feel the same whether you play Omaha Hi-Lo, Omaha, or Hold'em.

Strategy tips

Play hands that can win both ways. Starting cards with a low ace (A-2 is the gold standard) plus high cards or pairs give you a real shot at scooping instead of splitting.
Aim for the nut low, not just any low. In Hi-Lo so many players make a low that a non-nut low gets quartered or beaten — A-2 in your hand is far stronger than a bare 3-4.
Remember the two-plus-three rule applies to both halves, but you can mix and match: use two cards for your high and a different two for your low from the same four hole cards.
When the board shows three or more cards eight-or-lower, expect a low to be live; when it shows two or fewer low cards (or pairs up), there is no qualifying low and the high hand scoops.
Beware getting quartered: if you and another player tie for the low, you each get only a quarter of the pot, which can lose money even though you 'won' a half. Push hardest when you can scoop.
Use position and Pot-Limit sizing — control the pot from the button, bet big when you hold the nuts both ways, and restrain yourself when you can only win one half.

Variants

Omaha Hi-Lo / Omaha 8-or-Better (standard, pot split high and low) · Pot-Limit, Limit, or No-Limit betting structures · Big O (five-card Omaha Hi-Lo, still use exactly two) · Courchevel Hi-Lo (5 hole cards, first flop card exposed pre-flop) · Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo (Stud/8) — same 8-or-better split in stud · Played at our Dealer's Poker table — pick Omaha Hi-Lo (8-or-Better) as the variant

Omaha Hi-Lo — frequently asked questions

What is Omaha Hi-Lo and how does the split pot work?

Omaha Hi-Lo (Omaha 8-or-Better) is a split-pot version of Omaha. You get four hole cards and, using exactly two of them plus three board cards, the pot is split: half to the best high hand and half to the best qualifying low hand. A low must be five different cards all ranked eight or lower with no pair. If no one makes a qualifying low, the high hand wins the whole pot.

What counts as a qualifying low in Omaha 8-or-Better?

A low needs five different ranks, all eight or lower, with no pair. Aces play low, so the best possible low is A-2-3-4-5 (the wheel). Straights and flushes don't count against a low. You build it from exactly two hole cards and three board cards. If no player can make such a hand, there is no low and the high hand scoops the pot.

Can I use different cards for my high and low hands?

Yes — that is a key part of Omaha Hi-Lo. You still must use exactly two hole cards and three board cards for each hand, but the two you use for your high can be different from the two you use for your low, drawn from the same four hole cards.

What does it mean to scoop or get quartered?

Scooping is winning both halves of the pot with the same hand — either by holding the best high and best low, or because no low qualifies and you take the whole pot as the best high. Getting quartered is when you tie another player for one half (say, the low) and so you each receive only a quarter of the pot, which can lose money on a big bet.

How do I play Omaha Hi-Lo online for free?

On Love Card Games, Omaha Hi-Lo runs inside the Dealer's Poker table. Open the table, pick the Omaha Hi-Lo (8-or-Better) variant, and play — no download, no signup, and no money. You play with chips against friends or smart bots, so you can learn the split-pot game completely risk-free in your browser.

How is Omaha Hi-Lo different from regular Omaha?

Both deal four hole cards and use the exact two-plus-three rule at showdown. Regular Omaha (Pot-Limit Omaha) awards the whole pot to the best high hand. Omaha Hi-Lo splits the pot between the best high hand and the best qualifying low (8-or-better), so you play for two prizes and the best hands are the ones that can win both halves.

How many players can play Omaha Hi-Lo?

Omaha Hi-Lo works from 2 players (heads-up) up to a full ring of 9 players sharing one standard 52-card deck. On our portal you can fill empty seats with smart bots, so you can practice or play a full table any time, with no real money involved.