Rules for Omaha High/Low
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Published On:
12/13/2005 11:37 AM
Quick Bio:
Paul Thomas is from Brooklyn, New York. He enjoys playing in both the finest and dingiest poker rooms you can imagine.
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Omaha Hi/Lo adds a wrinkle to traditional Omaha Poker and invites even more betting action than you’d normally see in a standard game of Omaha. This is due to the fact that not only does each player get 4 pocket cards to make the best poker hand, but because the pot is split between the best high hand and the best low hand. Like Omaha, it’s starting to really catch on in the U.S., but has a great following in Europe. Like Hold’em, it is widely available online in single table sit & go tournament formats and cash games, otherwise known as ring games. Other than single table sit and go Omaha games, there aren’t many places to find a multi-table Omaha Hi/Lo tournament online, but keep checking PokerSchedule.Com for tournaments, as their number is growing daily.
Same Button and Blind format as in Texas Hold’em. If you don’t know how to play that, don’t play Omaha Hi/Lo or you and your bank account will get slaughtered! But if you’re feeling lucky and just want to jump right to Omaha Hi-Li, we’ll tell you how. At least make sure you've played a few games of regular Omaha Hi to get you in the mood. The player acting as the dealer is noted as such by a white disk in front of them. To the left are two forced bets. You’ve got to put them in prior to the deal to play the hand. Directly left of the button is the small blind and the next seat left forks over the big blind. The small blind is usually half the value of the big one. The amount of the big blind is usually the same as the low limit bet. In a $1/$2 game this would be $1. The button moves one spot to the left after each hand, changing the order of play. In ring games the blinds and betting limits remain constant. In sit and go and tournament formats, the blinds rise after either a predetermined amount of time or number of hands. Once the blinds are posted, the hand begins with:
Just as in standard Omaha, each player is dealt 4 down cards, unlike in Hold’em, where players get 2 and can use any combination of the 7 total cards to make a hand. Again as in Omaha you MUST use two of your cards and 3 of the community cards to make the best possible and/or lowest 5-card hand. Once everyone has their 4 hole cards the action begins with:
For this round of betting only, the action starts with the player in the first spot to the left of the big blind. Your choices are the same as in Hold’em, you can fold, call, or raise. To call, just match the big blind. A raise in a limit game is restricted to the amount of the big blind, thereby doubling the big blind. So in a $1/$2 game the big blind is $1, it’s $1 to call and the maximum raise is $1 for a total bet of $2. In a pot limit game, you can bet the amount of the pot at that moment, which is the combined total of both blinds plus any bets made prior to your bet. In a no limit game, the sky (or your chip stack) is the limit. Betting continues around the table until all players have folded, called, or raised, and any raises have been called. Only 3 raises are allowed each round. Once the pot is right, we come to:
Once again, it’s the same as in Hold’em. The dealer burns 1 card, removing it from the top of the deck and mucking it, and then turns the next 3 cards face up in the center of the table. Now it’s time for another round of betting, this time and for the remainder of the hand starting with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer (button). Betting continues around the table until all players have folded, called, or raised, and any raises have been called. Does your hand still need some help? You may get it next with:
Street Dealer burns 1 and turns 1 followed by another complete round of betting. And if your hand still requires assistance and you’ve paid the price, you get to see:
As always before community cards come out, the dealer burns the top card of the deck and the final community card is dealt face up on the table. The final round of betting commences, and when those with the cards (or the courage) have called all bets and raises, the drama reaches a crescendo in:
Ok, who’s still in the hand? Everyone who hasn’t folded after the final round of betting, that’s who! The winner of the high hand is determined by standard poker hand rankings. Remember that in any Omaha game hands must be made using any 3-community cards and any 2 hole cards, no exceptions! So standard poker hand rankings apply and half the pot goes to the best high hand. If 2 or more players tie for the high, it is equally divided between them. The winner of the low hand, again using any 2 of their hole cards and any 3 of the community cards, is determined simply by card value and flushes or straights are not applicable. You simply need to have a 5-card hand with all cards being different. Whatever your highest low card is to start your low hand is the first determining factor. For example, 7-6-5-4-2 beats 8-4-3-2-Ace. If players are tied at the top of their low hand, then the winner is the hand which goes lower first. An example of this is 7-6-4-2-Ace beats 7-6-5-2-Ace because the hands are tied until you reach the third lowest card, with the 4 being lower than the 5. Like the pot distribution on high hands, half the pot goes to the best low hand and if there are ties then the low pot is split. The best low hand possible is 5-4-3-2-Ace. That’s not a bad high hand either, a straight to the 5. So if you get it, bet big! Winning both the high and low pots is possible (and highly recommended) because you can use different hole and community cards to make each hand.
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