Omaha Hi/Lo Poker

Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-better is a community card game similar to Omaha and Texas Hold’em. The pot is split between the best high hand and the best qualifying a-5 low hand.

Omaha Hi/Lo Poker Gameplay

A hand begins with the first players clockwise from the dealer placing forced bets, known as blinds. Each player is dealt 4 hole cards.

A round of betting occurs. Starting with the first player clockwise from the blinds, each player has an opportunity to call (match) or raise (increase) the current bet, or fold and exit the hand.

When this betting round is complete, the flop comes: 3 community cards are dealt to the center of the table. Another round of betting occurs, starting with the first player clockwise from the dealer.

When this round is complete, the turn comes: 1 additional community card is dealt to the center of the table. Another round of betting occurs in the same way. When this round is complete, the river comes: 1 final community card is dealt to the center of the table.

A final round of betting occurs. If two or more players remain in the hand, a showdown is held, and the players’ hole cards are compared.If no players have a qualifying low hand of 8-Low or better (8-7-6-5-4 or better), the entire pot is awarded to the best high hand.

If one or more players have a qualifying low hand, half of the pot is awarded to the best high hand, and half of the pot is awarded to the best low hand. If multiple players tie for high or low, the high or low half of the pot is further split between the winners.

The hand now complete, the dealer button moves clockwise and the next hand begins. Players in Omaha Hi/Lo must use exactly 2 hole cards and 3 community cards to make their best 5-card hand. Unlike Texas Hold’em, players may not play 4 or 5 of the community cards.

Players may play different cards as their best 5-card high and low hands. Omaha Hi/Lo can be played with Pot Limit, No Limit, or Fixed Limit betting.