How to Play Hi-Lo Poker Games

Omaha Hi/Lo

The differences between standard Omaha poker and Omaha Hi/Lo are slight but significant. In case you haven’t read our Rules for Omaha article we recommend reading that article first so that you can get complete view of a game of Omaha before learning the distinctions of Omaha Hi/Lo below.

What distinguishes Omaha Hi/Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or Better, Omaha 8, O8, and Omaha High-Low) from standard Omaha is in the SHOWDOWN.

The Omaha Hi/Lo Showdown

The showdown of a hand of poker comes at the end of any hand in which more than one live player remains after all the cards have been dealt and all the betting rounds are complete. The showdown is when the remaining live players reveal their hands and a winner is determined.

In Omaha Hi/Lo poker, however, the possibility exists in every hand of having two winners come showdown:

the player with the highest or best five-card poker hand
the player with the lowest or worst five-card poker hand

These two players split the pot evenly, lending to the characterization of Omaha Hi/Lo as a “split pot” poker game.

Abiding by standard poker hand rankings, there will always be a high hand in Omaha Hi/Lo but not necessarily always a low hand. A low hand must meet certain qualifications in order to earn its player half the pot.

The low hand must be comprised of two of a player’s hole cards and three of the shared community cards
There can be no pairs in a low hand
All cards must have a value equal to or lower than 8
For the low hand, Aces are low
Flushes and straights are irrelevant in Omaha Hi/Lo, meaning, for example, that both an A 2 3 4 6 of hearts and an A 2 3 4 5 of any suit would qualify as low hands
Competing low hands are evaluated from the highest card down, so in the above example, the A 2 3 4 5 would win as a low hand over the A 2 3 4 6
Suits are ignored in Omaha Hi/Lo, so competing Low hands of the same numerically valued cards tie for Low hand and split the pot evenly

If there is no qualifying low hand in any round of Omaha Hi/Lo, then the entire pot is awarded to the player with the high hand.

There is no rule requiring a player to declare whether he is going for a hi or lo hand before any given deal.

7-Card Stud Hi/Lo (Stud 8 or Better)

The differences between standard 7-Card Stud poker and 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo are slight but significant. In case you haven’t read our Rules for 7-Card article we recommend reading that article first so that you can get complete view of a game of Seven-Card Stud before learning the distinctions of Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo below.

What distinguishes Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo (also known as Seven-Card Stud 8 or Better, and 7-Card Stud High-Low) from standard 7-Card Stud is in the SHOWDOWN

The 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo Showdown

In 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo poker, however, the possibility exists in every hand of having two winners come showdown:

the player with the highest or best five-card poker hand
the player with the lowest or worst five-card poker hand

These two players split the pot evenly, lending to the characterization of 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo as a “split pot” poker game.

Abiding by standard poker hand rankings, there will always be a high hand in Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo but not necessarily always a low hand. A low hand must meet certain qualifications in order to earn its player half the pot.

There can be no pairs in a low hand
A player is free to use any cards in his hand for the high hand and any cards in his hand for the low hand
All cards must have a value equal to or lower than 8
For the low hand, Aces are low
Flushes and straights are irrelevant in 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, meaning, for example, that both an A 2 3 4 6 of hearts and an A 2 3 4 5 of any suit would qualify as low hands
Competing low hands are evaluated from the highest card down, so in the above example, the A 2 3 4 5 would win as a low hand over the A 2 3 4 6
Suits are ignored in 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, so competing Low hands of the same numerically valued cards tie for Low hand and split the pot evenly

If there is no qualifying low hand in any round of 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, then the entire pot is awarded to the player with the high hand.

There is no rule requiring a player to declare whether he is going for a hi or lo hand before any given deal.