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How To Play Omaha Hi Lo Poker | Omaha Rules
Omaha Hi Lo, 8 or Better, is a quite popular among most poker enthusiasts, and a staple event in the World Series of Poker. The most intriguing draw for fans of Omaha Hi Lo, and coincidentally the major aversion for players who dislike the game, is the fact that two players can win the same hand and split the pot.
The game of Omaha poker is taken from Texas Hold em, with two distinct variations in the rules. The first is that players get 4 hole cards instead of two, giving them a wider range of options. However, the second rule limits those options as a player must use exactly 2 hole cards and 3 community cards to develop their hand. What’s wrong with that, you may ask? Well, should a player be dealt quad Aces in their hole cards, they may only use two of them. If a player is dealt 3 hearts, and two more fall in the community pile, it’s not a Flush. Got it? Okay, moving on…
Omaha rules and Omaha Hi Lo rules differ because each player is trying to achieve two great hands, not just one. The first is the usual “highest ranking poker hand wins”. The second is won by creating the lowest hand. Not just a low hand though, but a “Qualifying Low Hand”. As the “8 or Better” term implies, a qualifying low hand must contain no card higher than an 8, with no pairs (or trips, or quads, obviously). Aces are always low in a low hand, and straights and flushes, are not considered combinations; therefore…
- The best possible “Qualifying Low Hand” is: A-2-3-4-5
- The worst possible “Qualifying Low Hand” is: 4-5-6-7-8
Because of the heavy restrictions on the high and low Omaha hands, any player unfamiliar with how to play Omaha Hi Lo is strongly encouraged to practice a few hands before placing any real money on the table.
Object of Omaha Hi Lo
The object of Omaha Hi Lo is to create the highest ranking 5-card poker hand using exactly 2 out of 4 hole cards, and 3 out of 5 community cards. Then, create the lowest ranking 5-card poker hand, again using any 2 of your 4 hole cards, and 3 of 5 community cards. The winner of the high hand is awarded half of the pot. The winner of the low hand is awarded the other half. If no low hand qualifies (8 or better), the high hand winner takes the entire pot. Note that it is possible for the same player to win the Omaha high and low hand.
Betting Structure of Omaha Hi Lo
Omaha Hi Lo can be played in any limit – Fixed Limit, No Limit or Pot Limit. We’ll be using a Fixed Limit betting structure for the following guide, which means all bets and raises are forced to match the stakes of the game. For instance, stakes of $2/$4 would require bets/raises of $2 and $4. There are four betting rounds in Omaha Hi Lo. The first two betting round force all bets and raises equal to the low-end stakes - $2. For the final two betting rounds, these limits increase to bets and raises of $4 – the high-end stakes.
Like all poker games that use a community card lay-out, Omaha Hi Lo forces two blind bets; the small blind and the big blind. The blind bets, along with all other betting options, are defined below.
- Small Blind: Placed by the player left of the dealer before any cards are dealt, the small blind is equal to half the low-end stakes. (ex: stakes of $2/$4 = small blind of $1)
- Big Blind: Placed by the player left of the small blind before any cards are dealt, the big blind is equal to the low-end stakes. (ex: stakes of $2/$4 = big blind of $2)
- Check: To wager no chips, but stay in the hand. This can only be done if there is no previous bet in the current betting round. Should any player bet after a check, the checked player(s) must call, raise or fold.
- Bet: A bet is the first wager placed in a betting round.
- Call: To match the previous bet or raise.
- Raise: To wager more than the previous bet or raise. Note that Fixed Limit rules limit raises to 3 per betting round.
- Fold: To surrender the current hand and all chips in the pot.
- All-In: To bet all of your remaining chips, pushing them into a side-pot, separate from the main pot. This is required because a player may not win an amount higher than his All-In bet from any individual player. Note that in a Fixed Limit game, since the bets are limited by the stakes, a player can only go All-In if he has just enough, or less, chips to call, bet or raise.
General Game Play of Omaha Hi Lo
This is an example play-through of a hand to help you learn how to play Omaha Hi Lo. For this example, we will be using $2/$4 stakes in a Fixed Limit betting structure.
A hand of Omaha Hi Lo begins with the placement of small blind and big blind bets. Each player is then dealt 4 hole cards, face-down.
The first round of betting commences. For the first and second round, all bets and raises must be $2, matching the low-end stakes. Betting starts with the player left of the big blind, who must call the blind bet of $2, raise or fold. Betting continues in this fashion until it is the small blind bettors turn. He may add enough chips to his Small blind bet to match the current bet, raise or fold. If he folds, the small blind bet is lost to the pot. The big blind bettor may then choose to check (if no one has raised yet), call, raise or fold. If none have raised, the betting round ends with the big blind bettor.
The Flop: The dealer revels 3 Community Cards, placed face-up in the center of the table. Community cards are used by all players, in conjunction with their own hole cards, to develop the best high and low hands. A second betting round begins, same as the last, except that the original small blind bettor starts things off.
The Turn: A fourth community card is dealt face-up. The third betting round ensues, like the last, except that from here out, all bets and raises must be $4, equal to the high-end stakes.
The River: The fifth and final community card is revealed, followed by a final round of bets.
The Showdown: A showdown only occurs if there are two or more players remaining in the hand – meaning everyone has not folded. Showdowns are common in Omaha Hi-Low because there are two ways to win. Because of this, we’ll separate the Showdown into two categories…
Omaha Hi Hand: First, each player still in the hand uses exactly 2 hole cards and 3 community cards to develop the highest ranking 5-card poker hand possible. The highest hand automatically wins half of the pot.
Omaha Low Hand: Again, players use any 2 hole cards combined with any 3 community cards to make the lowest possible hand. Remember, to qualify as a low hand, there can be no card higher than an 8, and no pairs (Straights and Flushes aren’t considered viable combinations in a low hand). The best possible hand is A-2-3-4-5, worst possible low hand 4-5-6-7-8. The lowest qualifying Omaha low hand wins the other half of the pot.
Exceptions: If no player has a qualifying Omaha low hand, the high hand winner takes the whole pot. It is possible for the same player to win the high and low hand, again awarding the entire pot.
The high hand rankings are the same as in Texas Holdem. You can review the Omaha High Poker hand rankings here. You can review the Omaha Low Poker hand rankings here.
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