Omaha Hi/Lo Short Description

Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better (Omaha Hi/Lo), a game for between 2-10 players, has gained popularity, both in the US and abroad, due to its highly challenging game play and many-faceted game rules.

A hand of Omaha Hi/Lo consists of up to 4 Betting Rounds. After the placing of the Blind Bets (see The Blind Bets below), each player receives 4 private, facedown ‘Pocket Cards’. Throughout the hand, 5 face-up ‘Community Boardcards’ are placed in the center of the table, to be shared by all the players.

After the fourth and final Betting Round is complete, there is a ‘Showdown’. The 2 players that create the highest- and lowest- (with no card higher in value than 8) ranking (valued), five card Poker hands, using any combination of 2 of their 4 Pocket Cards and any 3 of the 5 Community Boardcards, split the Pot 50%-50% (if one player creates both the highest- and lowest-ranking Poker hands, that player receives the entire Pot).

Click here to see the rules of Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo games.

Omaha Hi/Lo Step-by-Step

Step 1: The Blind Bets

• The first player ‘Sitting-in’, in a clockwise fashion to the left of the Dealer, places the ‘Small Blind’ Bet (half the table's Lower Limit Stake - on tables with Stakes higher than $1 the Small Blind is rounded down to the nearest dollar) (see Betting Rounds & Limits below).
• The second player Sitting-in, in a clockwise fashion to the left of the Dealer, places the 'Big Blind' Bet (equal to the table's Lower Limit Stake).

Step 2: The Pocket Cards - The First Deal

• The Dealer distributes 4 facedown "Pocket Cards" to each player. The cards are dealt in a clockwise fashion, one at a time, starting with the player to the left of the Big Blind.

Step 3: The First Betting Round
Betting Limit: Lower Limit Stake

• The first player to the left of the Big Blind initiates the first Betting Round (see the Betting Rounds & Limits below). The Betting Round then proceeds, in a clockwise fashion, around the table, with each player acting in turn. In this Betting Round, each player is required to at least 'Call' the Big Blind, in order to remain in the game. The Betting in this Round is set at the table's Lower Limit Stake.

Step 4: 'The Flop' - The Second Deal

• The Dealer places the first 3 ‘Community Boardcards’ face-up, in the center of the table. These cards are shared by all the players.

Step 5: The Second Betting Round
Betting Limit: Lower Limit Stake

• The first 'active' (has not Folded) player to the left of the Dealer initiates the second Betting Round. The Betting Round then proceeds, in a clockwise fashion, around the table, with each active player acting in turn. The Betting in this Round is set at the table's Lower Limit Stake.

Step 6: 'The Turn' - The Third Deal

• The Dealer places a fourth Community Boardcard face-up, in the center of the table.

Step 7: The Third Betting Round
Betting Limit: Higher Limit Stake

• The first active player to the left of the Dealer initiates the third Betting Round. The Betting Round then proceeds, in a clockwise fashion, around the table, with each active player acting in turn. The Betting in this Round is set at the table's Higher Limit Stake.

Step 8: 'The River' - The Fourth & Final Deal

• The Dealer places a fifth Community Boardcard face-up, in the center of the table.

Step 9: The Fourth and Final Betting Round
Betting Limit: Higher Limit Stake

• The first active player to the left of the Dealer initiates the fourth Betting Round. The Betting Round then proceeds, in a clockwise fashion, around the table, with each active player acting in turn. The Betting in this Round is set at the table's Higher Limit Stake

Step 10: The Showdown

• Once the fourth Betting Round has been completed, there is a ‘Showdown’ (if more than 1 player remains active - see The Showdown below). In the Showdown, each active player combines any combination of 2 of their 4 Pocket Cards, and any 3 of the 5 Community Boardcards, to create:
  1. The lowest ranking (valued), five card Poker hand possible, with no card higher in value than 8 (see the Poker Hand Ranking Chart section of this site);
     Or
     
  2. The highest-ranking, five card Poker hand possible;
     Or
     
  3. Both the highest and lowest ranking Poker hands possible.
• The 2 active players who create the highest and lowest ranking Poker hands split the Pot 50%-50%, minus the 'Rake' (see the Limits, Antes & Rake in the How to Play section of this site). 'All-in' Policy applies to all game Pots (see All-in Policy in the House Rules section of this site)
  1. Should 1 active player create both the highest- and lowest-ranking Poker hands, that player receives the entire Pot, minus any All-in Pots and the Rake.
  2. If there is no qualifying low hand (with no card higher in value than 8), the player with the highest-ranking hand receives the entire Pot, minus any All-in Pots and the Rake.

Omaha Hi/Lo Detailed Description

1. The Buy-in

Before joining an us.888poker Omaha Hi/Lo table, players must purchase a minimum amount of Chips to play with ('Buy-in').

At us.888poker, the minimum Buy-in amount is 10 times the Lower Limit Stake of that particular table (i.e. at a $1/$2 table the player must Buy-in with a minimum of $10) (see the Limits, Antes & Rake in the How to Play section of this site).

2. Posting

Before 'Sitting-in' (participating) at a us.888poker Omaha Hi/Lo table, players must also pay an initial fee ('Post'), equal to that table's Lower Limit Stake.

The Post follows the same rules as the Blind Bets (see The Blind Bets below).

After Posting, the player then takes their seat at the Omaha Hi/Lo table.

Players have the option of ‘Sitting Out’ (not participating), and waiting for the Big Blind before beginning to play. Posting ensures fairness to all players, by preventing players from entering a Poker game in a ‘Late Position’, in order to avoid placing Blind Bets.

3. The Blind Bets

In us.888poker's Omaha Hi/Lo, 'Antes' do not 'seed' the Pot. Instead, the Pot is formed, initially, through the use of 'mandatory' Bets, known as 'Blind Bets'.

Before the initial deal of the cards, the Blind Bets are placed:

• The first Blind Bet, known as the 'Small Blind', is placed by the first player Sitting-in, to the left of the Dealer, in a clockwise fashion. The amount of the Small Blind Bet is half of that table's Lower Limit Stake. On tables with Lower Limits Stakes greater than $1, the Small Blind is rounded down to the nearest dollar;
• The second Blind Bet, known as the 'Big Blind', is placed by the second player Sitting-in, to the left of the Dealer, in a clockwise fashion. The amount of the Big Blind Bet is equal to that table's Lower Limit Stake.

Both the Big and Small Blinds, in Omaha Hi/Lo Poker, are considered 'Live' (active) Bets and therefore, according to Poker rules, can be Checked, Called, Raised or Folded.

Once the Blind Bets have been placed, the Sitting-in players are each dealt 4 face down Pocket Cards. The cards are dealt in a clockwise fashion, one at a time, starting with the player to the left of the Big Blind.

The first Betting Round is then initiated by the first player Sitting-in, in a clockwise fashion, to the left of the Big Blind.

4. The Betting Rounds & Limits

There are4 possible Betting Rounds in us.888poker's Omaha Hi/Lo. In each Betting Round, the amount that players Bet is determined by that specific table's Lower and Higher Limit Stakes (Betting amounts) (see the Limits, Antes & Rake in the how to play section of this site). A table's Lower Limit Stake is always half of the Higher Limit Stake (i.e. a $1/$2 table, or a $5/$10 table).

• In the first 2 Betting Rounds of an Omaha Hi/Lo Poker hand, players Bet in multiples of that table's Lower Limit Stake;
• In the final 2 Betting Rounds of an Omaha Hi/Lo Poker game, players Bet in multiples of that table's Higher Limit Stake.

us.888poker's Omaha Hi/Lo follows the conventional Poker Betting Round Structure. Betting Rounds always proceed in a clockwise fashion, from one active player to the next. Each player must either:

1. Check - Pass the option to act to the next active player;
   Or
   
2. Bet - Place a Betting Round's initial increase to the amount that each of the following players must place in the Pot, in order to remain in the hand;
   Or
   
3. Raise - Place a Betting Round's second, third or fourth increase to the amount that each of the following players must place in the Pot, in order to remain in the hand;
   Or
   
4. Call - Equal the previous active player's Betting amount in that Betting Round and remain in the hand (in the first Betting Round each player must at least Call the amount of the Big Blind);
   Or
   
5. Fold - Discard hand and no longer remain active to participate in that hand. The player forfeits the amount (if any) that they have previously wagered during that hand.

In keeping with conventional Poker rules, within each Betting Round there can be no more than 1 Bet and 3 additional Raises (‘Raise’, ‘Reraise’ & ‘Cap’). Once a Cap occurs, the following players will only be able to Call or Fold.

A Betting Round is concluded when:

1. All active players have Checked in turn;
   Or
2. All active players have Called the last player to Bet or Raise, in turn;
   Or
3. All previous active players have chosen to Fold, leaving only 1 active player. This remaining player automatically wins the Pot; both the Betting Round and hand are automatically terminated.

After each of the subsequent 3 deals of the cards (‘The Flop’, ‘The Turn’ and ‘The River’), in which the "Community Boardcards" are dealt, there is a Betting Round, which is initiated by the first active player (has not Folded), in a clockwise fashion, to the left of the Dealer.

5. The Showdown

Once the fourth Betting Round has been completed, if more than one player remains active in the hand, there is a 'Showdown'.

In the Showdown, each active player utilizes any combination of 2 of their 4 Pocket Cards and any 3 of the 5 Community Boardcards, to create the highest- and/or lowest- (with no card higher in value than 8) ranking (valued), five card Poker hand(s) possible.

us.888poker follows Standard Poker Rules for determining Poker hand rank (see the Hand Ranking Chart section of this site).

The active players who create the highest and lowest (with no card higher in value than 8) ranking Poker hands split the Pot 50%-50%, minus the Pot(s) won by any players holding higher and/or lower ranking 'All-in' hands (see All-in Policy in the House Rules section of this site) and the 'Rake' (see the Limits, Antes & Rake in the How to Play section of this site).

Should 1 active player create both the highest- and lowest-ranking Poker hands, that player receives the entire Pot, minus any All-in Pots and the Rake. Furthermore, if there is no qualifying low hand (with no card higher in value than 8), the player with the highest-ranking hand receives the entire Pot, minus any All-in Pots and the Rake.

The hand is then concluded; the Dealer Button moves to the next player Sitting-in, in a clockwise fashion, and a new Omaha Hi/Lo hand is dealt.

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