Omaha Hi/Lo Poker
Owing to its frequently large pots, Omaha Hi/Lo (also called ‘Omaha High Low’, ‘Omaha H/L’, ‘Omaha/8’ or ‘Omaha ⚽️ 8-or-better’) has become a hugely popular game around the world. Each player in an Omaha Hi/Lo game is dealt four ⚽️ private cards (‘hole cards’) that belong only to that player. Five community cards are dealt face-up on the ‘board’. All ⚽️ players use exactly two cards from their four hole cards in conjunction with exactly three cards from the board to ⚽️ make the best five-card poker hand possible. The pot is divided between the best hand for high and the best ⚽️ hand for low - hence the name, Omaha Hi/Lo. You may use different combinations of two cards from your hand ⚽️ to make your high hand and your low hand, but in each hand you must use precisely two from your ⚽️ hand and three from the board - no more, no less. Visit the poker hands page to view the rankings ⚽️ of hands in Omaha Hi/Lo.
Omaha Hi/Lo is played with an ‘8-or-better’ qualifier, which means that a low hand must consist ⚽️ of five different cards - ranked eight or below - to be eligible to win the low portion of the ⚽️ pot. Low hands in Omaha Hi/Lo are determined in exactly the same way they're determined in 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo. ⚽️ If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot. Omaha Hi/Lo uses the ‘Ace to ⚽️ Five’ or ‘California’ system for ranking low hands. Straights and flushes do not count against a hand, and Aces are ⚽️ always low in reading the low hand, so the best possible hand is a "wheel": 5, 4, 3, 2, A. ⚽️ To help understand the ranks of low hands, the following sample qualifying low hands (not a complete list) are ranked ⚽️ from least powerful (#1, will rarely win the low half of the pot) to most powerful (#10, the nuts):
8, 7, ⚽️ 6, 5, 4 8, 7, 6, 5, 3 8, 6, 4, 2, A 8, 4, 3, 2, A 7, 6, ⚽️ 5, 4, 2 7, 6, 5, 2, A 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 6, 4, ⚽️ 3, 2, A 5, 4, 3, 2, A
Note that a low hand is always ranked from its highest card downwards. ⚽️ So for example, hand #9 is known as a ‘Six-low’ because its highest card is a Six. Hand #5 is ⚽️ a ‘Seven-low’, and Hand #1 is an ‘Eight-low’. In poker slang, you distinguish between close low hands by going further ⚽️ down the ranks, so hand #9 would be called a ‘Six-Four low’, which beats hand #8, a ‘Six-Five low’. Also ⚽️ remember that straights and flushes do not count against your low hand, so making a qualifying low that is also ⚽️ a straight or a flush is a very powerful hand, that could win both the high and low halves of ⚽️ the pot. That’s called a ‘scoop’.
Types of Omaha Hi/Lo Games
Omaha Hi/Lo can be played in the following formats:
Limit Omaha Hi/Lo ⚽️ - Specific betting limit applied in each game and on each round of betting.
- Specific betting limit applied in each ⚽️ game and on each round of betting. Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - Bets are limited to the amount of chips ⚽️ in the pot.
- Bets are limited to the amount of chips in the pot. No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - A ⚽️ player can bet all of the chips he has available.
- A player can bet all of the chips he has ⚽️ available. Mixed Omaha Hi/Lo - The game alternates between rounds of Limit and Pot-Limit. The blinds are increased when the ⚽️ game switches from Pot-Limit to Limit, to ensure that the stake levels are consistent.
Rules for Playing Omaha Hi/Lo
In Omaha Hi/Lo, ⚽️ a marker called ‘the button’ or ‘the dealer button’ indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. ⚽️ Before the game begins, the player immediately clockwise from the button posts the ‘small blind’, the first forced bet. The ⚽️ player immediately clockwise from the small blind posts the ‘big blind’, which is typically twice the size of the small ⚽️ blind, but the blinds can vary depending on the stakes and betting structure being played. In Limit games, the big ⚽️ blind is the same as the small bet, and the small blind is typically half the size of the big ⚽️ blind but may be larger depending on the stakes. For example, in aR$2/$4 Limit game the small blind isR$1 and ⚽️ the big blind isR$2. In aR$15/$30 Limit game, the small blind isR$10 and the big blind isR$15. In Pot Limit ⚽️ and No Limit games, the games are referred to by the size of their blinds (for example, aR$1/$2 Omaha Hi/Lo ⚽️ game has a small blind ofR$1 and a big blind ofR$2). Now, each player receives their four hole cards. Betting ⚽️ action proceeds clockwise around the table, starting with the player ‘under the gun’ (immediately clockwise from the big blind).
Pre-Flop
After seeing ⚽️ his or her hole cards, each player now has the option to play his or her hand by calling or ⚽️ raising the big blind. The action begins to the left of the big blind, which is considered a ‘live’ bet ⚽️ on this round. That player has the option to fold, call or raise. For example, if the big blind wasR$2, ⚽️ it would costR$2 to call, or at leastR$4 to raise. Action then proceeds clockwise around the table. Note: The betting ⚽️ structure varies with different variations of the game. Explanations of the betting action in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, No Limit Omaha ⚽️ Hi/Lo, and Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo can be found below. Betting continues on each betting round until all active players ⚽️ (who have not folded) have placed equal bets in the pot.
The Flop
After the first round of betting is complete, the ⚽️ ‘flop’ is dealt face-up on the board. The flop is the first three community cards available to all active players. ⚽️ Betting begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button. Another round of betting ensues. In Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, ⚽️ all bets and raises on the flop are in increments of the small bet (for example,R$2 in aR$2/$4 game).
The Turn
When ⚽️ betting action is completed for the flop round, the ‘turn’ is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the ⚽️ fourth community card in an Omaha Hi/Lo game. Play begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button. Another ⚽️ round of betting ensues. In Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, bets and raises on the turn are in increments of the big ⚽️ bet (for example,R$4 in aR$2/$4 game).
The River
When betting action is completed for the turn round, the ‘river’ is dealt face-up ⚽️ on the board. The river is the fifth and final community card in an Omaha Hi/Lo game. Betting begins with ⚽️ the active player immediately clockwise from the button. A final betting round ensues.
The Showdown
If there is more than one remaining ⚽️ player when the final betting round is complete, the last person to bet or raise shows their cards, unless there ⚽️ was no bet on the final round in which case the player immediately clockwise from the button shows their cards ⚽️ first. The player with the best five-card hand for high wins half the pot, and the player with the best ⚽️ five-card hand for low wins the other half. Remember, in all Omaha games, players must use two (and only two) ⚽️ of their four hole cards in combination with exactly 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 (i.e. is an ‘eight low’ or better), the best hand(s) for high ⚽️ wins the whole pot. After the pot is awarded, a new Omaha Hi/Lo game is ready to be played. The ⚽️ button now moves clockwise to the next player.
Limit, Pot Limit, No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
Omaha Hi/Lo rules remain the same for ⚽️ Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit poker games, with a few exceptions:
Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
Betting in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is in ⚽️ pre-determined, structured amounts. Pre-flop and on the flop, all bets and raises are of the same amount as the big ⚽️ blind. On the turn and the river, the size of all bets and raises doubles. In Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, up ⚽️ to four bets are allowed per player during each betting round. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, ⚽️ and (4) cap (final raise).
Betting in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is in pre-determined, structured amounts. Pre-flop and on the flop, all ⚽️ bets and raises are of the same amount as the big blind. On the turn and the river, the size ⚽️ of all bets and raises doubles. In Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, up to four bets are allowed per player during each ⚽️ betting round. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap (final raise). Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
The ⚽️ minimum bet in Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is the same as the size of the big blind, but players can ⚽️ always bet up to the size of the pot.
Minimum raise: The raise amount must be at least as much as ⚽️ any previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act betsR$5 then ⚽️ the second player must raise a minimum ofR$5 (total bet ofR$10).
Maximum raise: The size of the pot, which is defined ⚽️ as the total of the active pot, plus all bets on the table, plus the amount the active player must ⚽️ first call before raising.
Example: If the size of the pot isR$100, and there is no previous action on a particular ⚽️ betting round, a player may bet a maximum ofR$100. After that bet, the action moves to the next player clockwise. ⚽️ That player can either fold, callR$100, or raise any amount between the minimum ($100 more) and the maximum. The maximum ⚽️ bet in this case isR$400 - the raiser would first callR$100, bringing the pot size toR$300, and then raiseR$300 more, ⚽️ making a total bet ofR$400.
In Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, there is no ‘cap’ on the number of raises allowed.
The minimum ⚽️ bet in Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is the same as the size of the big blind, but players can always ⚽️ bet up to the size of the pot. Minimum raise: The raise amount must be at least as much as ⚽️ any previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act betsR$5 then ⚽️ the second player must raise a minimum ofR$5 (total bet ofR$10). Maximum raise: The size of the pot, which is ⚽️ defined as the total of the active pot, plus all bets on the table, plus the amount the active player ⚽️ must first call before raising. Example: If the size of the pot isR$100, and there is no previous action on ⚽️ a particular betting round, a player may bet a maximum ofR$100. After that bet, the action moves to the next ⚽️ player clockwise. That player can either fold, callR$100, or raise any amount between the minimum ($100 more) and the maximum. ⚽️ The maximum bet in this case isR$400 - the raiser would first callR$100, bringing the pot size toR$300, and then ⚽️ raiseR$300 more, making a total bet ofR$400. In Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, there is no ‘cap’ on the number of ⚽️ raises allowed. No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
The minimum bet in No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is the same as the size of ⚽️ the big blind, but players can always bet as much more as they want, up to all of their chips.
Minimum ⚽️ raise: In No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, the raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or ⚽️ raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act betsR$5 then the second player must ⚽️ raise a minimum ofR$5 (total bet ofR$10).
Maximum raise: The size of your stack (your chips on the table).
In No Limit ⚽️ Omaha Hi/Lo, there is no ‘cap’ on the number of raises allowed.
On the PokerStars software, it’s not possible to bet ⚽️ less than the minimum or more than the maximum. The bet slider and bet window will only allow you to ⚽️ bet amounts within the allowed thresholds. Omaha Hi/Lo is growing very fast in popularity, especially with the exposure of online ⚽️ poker. So while learning the rules of Omaha Hi/Lo can take some getting used to, it is an entertaining poker ⚽️ variant that many players have learned to enjoy.
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