Omaha Hi/Lo
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha-8) follows the same rules as regular Omaha but adds another twist to the game. Instead of all players competing to get the best hand and win the pot, the pot is split into two pots, and you have to build two different poker hands from your cards:
- Hi hand
The first half of the pot is played out as usual. You try to get the best possible combination, for example, a Royal Flush, to win this pot.
- Lo hand
The second half of the pot goes to the worst hand. The lower your cards, the better.
A Lo hand has to follow some more rules:
- All cards have to be an 8 or lower. An ace counts as a "1" - the lowest possible card.
- There are no straights or flushes.
This means that the "best" possible Lo hand is "Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5."
In Omaha Hi-Lo, every player always has a Hi hand (no matter how bad it is) but not always a Lo hand. If there are no Lo hands, the winner of the Hi hand wins the whole pot, including the Lo part.
There may also be several players with the same Hi hand or the same Lo hand. Then they have to share the Hi part of the pot / the Lo part of the pot.
Your main goal as a player in Omaha Hi-Lo is to "scoop" the pot, which means to win both parts of the pot by having the best Hi hand and the best Lo hand at the same time.
Omaha Hi/Lo poker is supported on Download Desktop and Native Mobile clients.
RULES
Omaha Hi/Lo is a poker game where the player creates the best five-card High hand, based on standard poker hand ranking, using two out of four pocket cards and three out of five community cards, and a Low hand using two out of the four pocket cards and three out of five community cards. To qualify as a Low hand, the player must be able to make a five-card hand with an 8 or lower as its highest-ranked card. Straights and flushes do not count against you when determining a low hand though, although pairs and trios do count against you.
The “Small Blind” is posted by the player to the left of the dealer and is usually half the minimum bet of the game (for instance, €1 in a €2/€4 game). The “Big Blind” is posted by the player to the left of the “Small Blind” and is the game's minimum bet (for example, €2 in a €2/€4 game). The dealer, marked by the “dealer button”, deals starting to the player closest to the dealer’s left.
Players are dealt four cards face down (pocket cards). A round of betting (pre-flop) occurs starting with the player to the left of the big blind, who can call, fold, or raise the amount of the big blind and continues clockwise. If all players call around to the big blind, they may either check or raise.
After the pre-flop betting round, the dealer deals the flop by first burning a card, dealing card face down into the pot, and then dealing three face-up community cards. The next round of betting begins with the active player to the left of the button. The player with the action can either check or bet and as soon as one player bets all remaining players in the hand can only fold, call or raise.
After the flop betting round the dealer deals the “Turn” or “Fourth Street” by burning a card and then dealing a face-up community card. The betting round begins with the active player to the left of the button. The minimum bet starting on the turn is the higher level of the betting limit (for example, €4 in a €2/€4 game).
After the turn betting round the “River” or “Fifth Street” is dealt by burning a card and then dealing a face-up community card. The betting round begins with the active player to the left of the button.
If there is more than one remaining player after the final betting round, then the showdown begins. Whoever had the last action (bet or raise) has to show his/her cards first. Half of the pot will be awarded to the best High hand and half to the best Low hand. If there isn’t a qualifying Low hand, then the whole pot is awarded to the best High hand. For a hand to qualify as a Low hand, the player must have five unpaired cards that are ranked eight or lower. The winning Low hand is the hand with the lowest high card. In the case of a tie with the high card, the winning hand is the one with the next lowest high card. An Ace counts as the lowest card in a Low hand and flushes and straights do not affect the Low hand. In the event of identical hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. After the pot is awarded, the button moves to the left and the next game begins.