Hi Lo Omaha Poker
Omaha Hi Low Rules
Hi Lo Omaha Poker Rules
Hi Lo Poker Rules
Omaha Hi Lo Poker Rules

Omaha Hi/Lo Poker Guide. Omaha hi/lo is very similar to Omaha Hi poker. This is a game of who has the highest hand and who has the lowest hand, hence the name Omaha hi/lo poker. The rules of the game are simple and anyone can play online for practice and for free, or play for real money and cash prizes. Omaha eights or better. You can read about Omaha hi-lo poker rules here. If you know the rules for Texas hold'em, you are more than halfway to knowing how to play Omaha poker. However, let's first sort out how the two.

Omaha Hi Lo is a fun and potentially profitable poker
variation.

It offers a nice change of pace for Texas holdem players and
when you learn the best way to play can be more profitable.

This page includes sections on how to play and strategy. If
you’re sure you already know how to play you can skip to the
strategy section, but if you have any questions at all about the
exact rules it’ll only take a couple minutes to read through the
how to play section.

Did you know you have to use exactly two of your hole cards
and exactly three of the board cards to form a hand? In Texas
holdem you can use any number of hole cards and up to and
including five community cards.

If you didn’t know the difference read the rules section
before moving on.

How to Play – Omaha Hi Lo Rules

Dealer Position & Blinds

One player is designated as the dealer position, usually
shown with a white button with the word dealer on it. The player
to the immediate left of the dealer position is the small blind
and the player to the immediate left of the small blind is the
big blind.

The dealer button is passed one player to the left after each
hand is completed.

The big blind places a forced wager set by the table limits
and the small blind places a bet usually half the size of the
big blind. In limit games the small blind is half the big blind,
but in pot limit and no limit games it can be different.

In a 10 / 20 limit game, the big blind is 10 and the small
blind is 5.

Dealing a Hand

Starting with the player in the small blind, each player
receives four cards face down, dealt one at a time to the left
around the table.

Pre-Flop Betting

After each player receives four hole cards the player to the
left of the big blind may choose from one of the following
options.

Fold (discard their cards and sit out the rest of the
hand)
Call (the amount of the big blind)
Raise

Play moves to the next player to the left who either folds,
calls the largest previous wager, or raises. After each player
has the opportunity to act the play moves on to the left. When
play reaches the small blind she either calls the remaining part
of the largest bet above her blind amount, folds or raises. Then
the big blind can check if the hand hasn’t been raised, fold if
the hand has been raised, call a raise, or raise.

Play continues to the left until every player has folded or
called the highest wager.

The Flop

The next step is the three card flop. The flop is the
beginning of the community card area.

Community cards are used by all the players remaining in the
hand to form a five card high hand and a five card low hand when
possible.

After the three cards on the flop are turned face up the
first player to the left of the dealer button remaining in the
hand is the first to act. This player has the following two
options.

Check (passing the option to bet onto the next player)
Bet

Play continues to the left with each remaining player having
the option to check if a bet hasn’t been made, or to call a bet,
fold, or raise.

Play continues to the left until each player remaining in the
hand has called the highest bet amount.

The Turn

The fourth community card, called the turn, is then dealt and
another betting round structured the same way as the one after
the flop is conducted.

In a limit game all bets are a set amount. Using the same 10
/ 20 example from above, all bets before and on the flop would
be 10. All bets on the turn and river are 20.

The River

After betting is completed on the turn the fifth and final
community card, called the river, is dealt face up. A final
betting round, identical to the one following the turn, is
conducted. After this round of betting the remaining players
show their cards and the winner or winners are paid from the
pot.

Making a Hand

Each player must use exactly two cards from her hand and
three of the community cards to form their best five card high
hand and best five card low hand if a low is possible. You don’t
have to use the same two cards to form a high and low hand.

Here are a couple of examples.

Your Hand:

.

Community Cards:

You’d use your
and
with the
and
to form a low and your
and
with the
and
for a high hand.

Your Hand:

Community Cards:

On this occasion you’d use your
and
with the
and
for both your high and low hand.

The only time a low hand is possible is when at least three
unpaired cards eight and below are on the board.

Warning

The biggest mistake Omaha Hi Lo players make is
forgetting they have to use exactly two hole cards and three
board cards to form a hand.

If no low hand is possible the entire pot is awarded to the
player with the best high hand. If two or more players tie for
the best high hand they split the pot.

When a low hand qualifies, the pot is split between the best
high hand and the best low hand. If more than one person ties
for the best high or best low hand the half of the pot that is
tied is split between the players who tied.

How to Read the Board

Most players don’t struggle much when it comes to determining
their best high hand, but figuring out the best low hand can be
tricky until you get used to how to read the board.

The easiest way to read low hands and figure out which hand
is lowest is to take each players five lowest unpaired cards and
read them backwards like a number.

Here’s an example.

A 2 3 4 5 = 54,321
A 2 3 4 6 = 64,321
A 4 5 6 7 = 76,541
A 2 3 7 8 = 87,321

Once you get used to reading low hands it’s pretty easy, but
don’t hesitate to ask the dealer to wait at the end of a hand
until you clearly see the value of each hand.

Variations

The two most popular variations of Omaha Hi Lo are limit and
pot limit. It can be played for no limit stakes, but most online
poker rooms only offer pot limit and limit.

Even the few that have no limit capabilities rarely have
players at the tables.

If player interest is high enough most land based poker rooms
will spread a no limit Omaha Hi Lo game, but you’re more likely
to find a pot limit game.

Though most dealers don’t have any problems with pot limit
games, it’s more difficult than no limit games and it can be
slower. Poker rooms don’t like anything that slows down the
games because the fewer hands per hour they run the lower the
rake they make from each table.

Why Omaha Hi Lo Can Be More Profitable

Most poker players started playing Texas holdem. In holdem,
you receive a two card starting hand so at the beginning of the
first round of betting you don’t know where any of the other 50
cards are located.

As players make bets, calls, and raises you can get an idea
of a range of starting hands they may hold. When the flop is
dealt you know the value of the two cards in your hand and the
three cards on the flop, for a total of 5 known cards and 47
unknown cards.

You know one more card value on the turn and another on the
river. After the river card is dealt you know the value of 7
cards and you don’t know the value of 45 cards.

In Omaha Hi Lo you know the value of two more cards on each
round of betting. While this