▪️Omaha Hi-lo
Omaha Hi-lo
Because of its generally large pots, Omaha Hi/Lo (also called Omaha High Low, Omaha H/L, Omaha/8, or Omaha 8-or-better) has become an extremely popular game around the world. Each player in an Omaha Hi/Lo game is dealt four hole cards, which belong to him or her alone. Five community cards are dealt open on the table at "board". All players use exactly two cards from their four hole cards together with exactly three cards from the board to form the best possible five-card poker hand. The pot is split between the best hand for High and the best hand for Low. Hence the name, Omaha Hi/Lo. You can use different combinations of two cards from your hand to make the High hand and the Low hand, but on each hand you must use exactly two cards from your hand and three cards from the board. No more, no less.
Omaha Hi/Lo is played with an '8 or better' option, which means that the Low hand must consist of five cards of different values below eight in order to be valid for winning the Low portion of the pot. Low hands in Omaha Hi/Lo are determined in exactly the same way as 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, so the lowest possible hand is the sequence known as the "wheel": 5, 4, 3, 2, A. To help understand the Low hand rankings, the example below shows the Low hands (not a complete list) ranked from the least powerful (#1, which rarely wins the low end of the pot) to the most powerful (#10, the nuts):
8
8
8
8
7
7
7
6
6
5
7
7
6
4
6
6
5
5
4
4
6
6
4
3
5
5
4
4
3
3
5
5
2
2
4
2
3
3
2
2
4
3
A
A
5
A
2
2
A
A
Note that the 'Low' hand is always ranked in descending order from the highest card. 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 jargon, you distinguish low hands by going further up the rankings, so hand #9 can be called a Six-Four Low, which beats hand #8, a Six-Five Low.
Also remember that sequences and flushes don't count against your Low hand, so making a Low hand that is also a sequence or flush is a very powerful hand that can win both the High and Low in the pot. This is called a scoop.
Types of Omaha Hi/Lo Games
Omaha Hi/Lo can be played in the following formats:
Omaha Hi/Lo Limit - Specific bet limits are applied to each game and on each betting round.
Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - Bets are limited to the amount of chips in the pot.
No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - A player can bet all the chips he has available.
Mixed Omaha Hi/Lo - The game alternates between Limit and Pot-Limit rounds. The blinds increase when the game switches from Pot Limit to Limit to ensure that betting levels are consistent.
Rules for Playing Omaha Hi/Lo
In Omaha Hi/Lo, a marker called the "button" or "dealer button" indicates which player is the designated dealer for the current hand. Before the hand begins, the player immediately to the left of the button posts the small blind, the first required bet. The player immediately to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which is usually twice the size of the small blind, but the blinds can vary depending on the stakes and the betting structure in play.
In Limit games, each big blind corresponds to the smaller bet, and the small blind is usually half the size of the big blind, but can be larger depending on the amounts.
For example:
Pré-flop
After seeing their hole cards, each player now has the option of playing their hand by calling or raising from the big blind. The action begins to the left of the big blind, which is considered a 'live' bet this round. That player has the option to fold, call or raise. For example, if the big blind is $2, the cost to call is $2, and at least $4 to raise. The action proceeds clockwise around the table.
Note: The betting structure varies according to the different variations of the game. Explanations of Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, and No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo betting 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 flipped open on the board. The flop consists of the first three community cards available to all active players. Betting begins with the active player immediately to the left of the button. Another round of betting takes place. In Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, all bets and raises on the flop are increments of the small bet (for example, $2 on a $2/$4 game).
The Turn
When the betting is over on the flop, the turn is flipped open on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in the Omaha Hi/Lo game. Play begins with the active player immediately to the left of the button. Another round of betting takes place. In Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, all bets and raises on the flop are increments of the big bet (for example, $4 on a $2/$4 game).
The River
When all bets are complete on the turn, the river is turned over and opened on the edge. The river is the fifth and final community card in an Omaha Hi/Lo game. Betting begins with the active player immediately to the left of the button. A final round of betting takes place.
Showdown
If there is more than one player remaining when the final round of betting is complete, the last person to bet or raise shows his cards, unless there are no bets in the final round. In this case, the player immediately to the left of the button shows his cards first. The player with the best five cards for High wins half the pot, and the player with the best five-card hand for Low takes the other half. Remember, in all Omaha games, players must use two and only two cards from their four hole cards in combination with exactly three cards from the board. In the case of identical hands, the High and Low parts of the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. In the event that no hand qualifies for the Low, the best hand for the High takes the entire pot.
After the pot is awarded, a new hand of Omaha Hi/Lo is ready to be played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player.
Limite, Pot Limit, No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
The rules of Omaha Hi/Lo remain the same for Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit games, with a few exceptions:
Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - The bets in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo are structured, pre-determined amounts. On pre-flop and on the flop, all bets and raises are the same size as the big blind. On the turn and river, the size of all bets and raises are doubled. In Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, up to four bets are allowed per player during each betting round. This includes the (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and the (4) cap (final raise).
Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - The minimum bet in Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is equal to 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 that of the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if one player is the first to act and bets $5, then the second player must raise at least $5 (total bet $10).
Maximum Raise: The size of the pot, which is defined by the total of the active pot, plus all the bets on the table, plus the amount the active player must to call before the raise.
For example: If the size of the pot is $100, and there is no previous action on that particular betting round, a player may bet a maximum of $100. After that bet, the action goes to the next player, clockwise. The player can either fold, call $100, or raise to any amount between the minimum (put in an additional $100) and the maximum. The maximum bet in this case is $400 - the raiser would first call $100, raising the pot to $200, and then raising another $200, making a total of $400. In Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo games, there is no maximum number of raises allowed.
No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - The minimum bet in No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is equal to the size of the big blind, but players can always bet as much as they wish, up to their total chips.
Minimum raise: In No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo games, the raise amount must be at least that of the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if one player is the first to act and bets $5, then the second player must raise at least $5 (total bet $10).
Maximum Raise: The size of your stack (your chips on the table).
In No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo games, there is no maximum number of raises allowed.
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 takes some getting used to, it's a fun variant of poker that many players have learned to love.
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