How to Play Big O Poker
What is Big O
Big O is a form of Omaha poker where instead of
four 8️⃣ cards, players receive five cards. The format is also played Hi-Lo split with half
the pot being awarded to the 8️⃣ high hand, and the other half to the low hand - providing
there is a low hand that qualifies under 8️⃣ the 8 or Better rule.
Here we go over the
poker rules for Big O.
How to Play Poker for Beginners Check 8️⃣ out the rules and basic
strategy to all the popular poker formats Click Here
Why Is It Called Big O?
There are
8️⃣ a number of reasons why this format has been come to be known as Big O.
Firstly, the
full name of 8️⃣ 5 Card Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better can be a bit of a mouthful, with
Big O much easier 8️⃣ to say.
Alternatively, the addition of an extra card to a player's
hand makes this automatically bigger than most Omaha poker 8️⃣ formats, where players
receive just four cards.
How to Play Big O
In order to be able to play Big O, you 8️⃣ must
first understand the rules of Omaha Hi-Lo, the game Big O is based on.
As always with
split pot games, 8️⃣ it is important to play starting hands that have the ability to
qualify to win both the high and the 8️⃣ low pots. With the additional card, the potential
two-card combinations a player may have within their hole cards increases from 8️⃣ 6 to 10,
meaning that stronger hands will be required to win either pot.
Related: Bluffing in
'Big O' and Other 8️⃣ Split-Pot Games
That means hands like two-pair and three-of-a-kind
will hardly ever turn up as a winner at showdown in Big 8️⃣ O. Straights and flushes and
stronger hands in general will be more likely to be the winner more consistently.
Big O
8️⃣ at the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
Big O has featured at the World Series of Poker
(WSOP) since 2024 when 8️⃣ it was included in the Dealer's Choice mix for the first time.
In 2024, a new Omaha Mix event was 8️⃣ introduced where players play three different Hi-Lo
Omaha variants: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, Omaha Hi Lo 8 or 8️⃣ Better and 'Big
O'
Related: John Beauprez Offers Big O Advice With WSOP Tournament Looming
The format
features in the Big Bet 8️⃣ Mix event which was introduced to the WSOP in 2024.
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