The games · Coolhand Poker

Omaha Hi-Lo

Omaha with the pool split in two: half to the highest hand and half to the lowest hand of five different cards, all eight or under.

18+ · Nothing to win but the hand.

Players: 2 to 9
Family: Flop Games
App: Coolhand Poker · iOS and Android, soon

How it goes

Four cards each and a shared middle, as in Omaha, with the same rounds of offers (tokens in, matched or passed) and the same rule of exactly two from your hand and three from the middle. What changes is the ending: the pool is split in two. Half goes to the best high hand in the ordinary order. The other half goes to the best low hand: five different cards, all eight or under, with aces low and runs and suits ignored. You can use one pair of your cards for the high and a different pair for the low, so one hand can go for both halves.

A good hand

A hand that can win both halves at once. A strong start is an ace and a two with two high cards of one suit beside them. The ace and the two go for the low half, the high cards go for the high half, and if the middle helps you can take everything. A low that also makes a run can do exactly that.

The usual mistake

Playing for the low half alone. It can win half the pool at most. Worse, a low only exists when three different cards of eight or under land in the middle, and on plenty of deals they don't. When the middle comes high, the whole pool goes to the high hand you never tried to make, and your ace and two win nothing.

Played differently where you are?

Card games change from table to table, and we researched some of these games instead of playing them. If Omaha Hi-Lo goes differently where you play it, tell us. That's one of the things the closed beta is for.

The closed beta is by invitation. How to ask to join.