cross post from Omaha: H/L split rule question

[papawawa]

I am having trouble understanding the 8-or-better part, here's what the rule book says:
A qualifier of 8-or-better for low applies to all high-low split games, unless a specific posting to the contrary is displayed. If there is no qualifying hand for low, the best high hand wins the whole pot.

What constitutes 8 or better? Does this mean that at least ne person must have an 8 or better to bet?

[benfranklin]

The 8 or better rule means that at the final show down, a five card hand with no pairs and no card higher than an 8 is needed to win the low half of the pot. If there is no such hand (for example, if the lowest five card hand has a nine in it) then the high hand wins the entire pot. The worst possible hand that can qualify for low is 87654. In O/8 there is no low possible if there are not three different cards 8 or lower on the board.

[PseudoPserious]

[ QUOTE ]
What constitutes 8 or better?

[/ QUOTE ]

A qualifying low hand consists of 5 unpaired cards from {A, 2, ..., 8}.

Of all of the qualifying low hands, the best low hand will take half of the pot.

The best low hand is determined by having the lowest-ranking high card in the hand...that is, 5 low cards headed by the 7 beats 5 low cards headed by the 8, no matter what the other 4 cards are.

Flushes and straights do not hurt the low hand...that is, 2-3-4-5-6 is a qualifying low hand, and beats A-2-3-4-8.

If the highest cards in two hands are tied, you then check the next-highest, then the next, and so on until one hand has a card lower than the other...that is, A-2-4-5-6 beats A-3-4-5-6 on the strength of the 4th highest card -- the '2' beats the '3'.

If no-one involved in the showdown has a qualifying low hand (5 unpaired cards all 8 or lower), then the high hand wins the entire pot.

PP