Omaha Hi/Lo Poker: Qualifying Low Hand
Omaha hi/lo poker, also known as 'Omaha eight or better', is a poker variant wherein the pot is split if there's a qualifying low hand at the end of a game. In that case, there will be two winners in a single game - the player with the best high hand and the player with the best low hand. So, what is a qualifying low hand in Omaha hi/lo poker?
A qualifying low hand in Omaha hi/lo poker is an unpaired five-card hand with no card value higher than an eight. That means the ultimate low hand is a straight with an ace, two, three, four, and five. This is also called the 'bicycle' in poker slang. As long as a five-card hand is unpaired and its highest valued card doesn't go over eight, it qualifies as a low hand. Consequently, how is a winning or best low hand determined in a game?
Let's say there are two of you who have a qualifying low hand competing for the other half of the pot. You have an ace, two, three, four, and eight while the other player has an ace, two, three, four, and seven. In that case, you're said to have an eight-low while your opponent has a seven-low. Your opponent wins half the pot because, obviously, seven is lower than eight.
But if players who are vying for the best low hand have equal high card ranks, they'll only have to compare the succeeding card value to determine the winner. For example, you have an ace, two, three, seven, and eight while another player has an ace, two, three, four, and eight. The other player has you beat because they have an eight-four low against your eight-seven low.
In Omaha hi/lo poker, the whole pot goes to the player with the best high hand but if there's a qualifying low hand in the game, the pot will be split with who has best low hand. For a hand to qualify as 'low', it has to have five unpaired cards, the highest of which must not go over eight. When qualifying low hands are determined, the best low hand among them will win the other half of the pot. And to see who has the best low hand, players will have to compare their highest card in their five-card hand. Whoever has the lowest card value wins and gets half the pot in Omaha hi/lo poker.
