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Omaha Hi-Lo (Omaha 8 or Better, PLO8)

Omaha Hi-Lo, also called Omaha 8 or Better, Omaha/8 or PLO8 in its pot-limit form, is Omaha where each pot is split in two: half to the best high hand and half to the best low hand, if a low qualifies. You get four hole cards (six in the 6-card version) and must use exactly two of them with exactly three board cards.

How it works

Betting works like Omaha: blinds, four streets, and either pot-limit or fixed-limit sizing. At showdown the high half goes to the best normal five-card hand. The low half goes to the best low hand, but only if one exists. If nobody has a qualifying low, the high hand takes the whole pot. You can use different hole cards for your high and your low, and one player can win both halves, which is called scooping. When two players tie for low, the low half is split between them. Limit Omaha 8/b appears inside H.O.R.S.E. and other mixes, while PLO8 is its own pot-limit game.

Rules and hand rankings

• High hand: normal poker rankings, using exactly two hole cards and three board cards.
• Low hand: five different ranks, none higher than an 8 (hence "8 or better"). Pairs disqualify. Aces count low, and straights and flushes are ignored for the low.
• The best low is A-2-3-4-5 (the wheel). The worst qualifying low is 8-7-6-5-4. A hand like A-2-3-4-9 does not qualify.
• Low hands are ranked by the highest card first: 8-5-3-2-A beats 8-6-5-4-3 because the second-highest card, 5, is lower than 6.
• 6-card PLO 8/b, which Phenom also runs, gives you six hole cards but keeps the same two-and-three rule.

Strategy tips

1. Start with hands that can win both ways: an ace and a deuce with two more cards that add either low or high value (a suited ace, or another low card).
2. Ace-two with no help (a "naked" ace-deuce) is weaker than it looks. Prefer A-2 plus a 3 or 4 so you are rarely out-kicked for the low.
3. The nut low matters. A second-best low in a big pot often gets quartered or loses, so avoid chasing weak lows against heavy betting.
4. When the board is paired or has three high cards, the low is unlikely and the high hand will take it all, so tighten up.
5. Don't play hands with three or four low cards and no high-card strength if the pot is raised, because you may only get half the pot at best.
6. In pot-limit, be wary of getting all the money in with just a low draw.

Common mistakes

• Playing low-only hands like 2-3-7-8 multi-way
• Assuming a paired board kills every low. You only need three unpaired low cards on the board, so check the combinations
• Using three hole cards or one hole card
• Chasing the second-nut low

Learn more (free)

Independent free articles and rules pages, not our content. We link them because they teach the game well. Each link was checked on 2026-10-24.

• PLO8 poker rules: how to play Omaha Hi-Lo (PokerNews) ↗
• Learning the games of H.O.R.S.E. with Ville Wahlbeck, including Omaha 8 or better (PokerNews) ↗
• Omaha hold 'em (Wikipedia) ↗

Find these tournaments

PLO Hi-Lo tournaments → PLO Hi-Lo at Phenom Poker → PLO8 at ACR → PLO Hi-Lo at BetOnline → All PLO tournaments →

Verified in our data on Oct 24, 2026: PLO8 / PLO Hi-Lo events at ACR, BetOnline, BetMGM, Clubs Poker and Phenom Poker (including 6-card PLO 8/b). Source: each site's published schedule.

FAQ

Related guides

PLO, PLO5 and mixed games · Big O, PLO5 and PLO6 · Mixed games: H.O.R.S.E., 8-Game and other mixes · Seven-Card Stud, Razz and Stud Hi-Lo

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