The player with the best five-card hand for high wins half the pot, and the player with the best hand for low wins the other half. In Omaha, players must use two and only two of their four hole cards in combination with three cards from the board. In the event of identical hands, the high and low shares of the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. In the event that no hand qualifies for low, the best hand(s) for high wins the pot.

For a five card hand to qualify for low, it cannot include cards higher than 8 or contain any pairs. Aces can be used for both high and low. When comparing low hands, the winner is the hand with the lowest high card, thus 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 is better than Ace, 2, 3, 4, 8. The best possible low hand is Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5.

some basic playing strategies as a guide:

• You need a strong high pair in the hole to stay
• You need a hole ace-2 to stay
• Fold if you don’t have four cards that are 6 or lower
• Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5 is the perfect low hand, plus a high straight hand
• Three of a kind in your hand is not a good hand
• Evaluate your hand before the flop and decide whether it’s worth calling or raising
• After the flop, consider the odds of seeing additional good cards
• After the fourth and fifth cards, basic poker skills come into play