Omaha Hi Lo 8 or Better
Omaha Hi/Lo Poker Game - How To Play and Rules
Omaha Hi Lo Poker
Owing to its frequently large pots,
Omaha Hi Lo (also called "Omaha High Low" or "Omaha 8 or Better") has
quickly become a hugely popular game in North America and Europe. Each
player in an Omaha Hi Lo game is dealt four cards ("hole cards") that
belong only to that player. Five community cards are dealt face-up on
the "board". All players use two cards from their four hole cards in
conjunction with three cards from the board to make the best five-card
poker hand possible. The pot is divided between the best hand for high
and the best hand for low - hence the name, Omaha Hi Lo.
Note that Omaha Hi Lo is played with an "8 or better" qualifier, which
means that a hand must be at worst an 8 for low to be eligible to win
the low portion of the pot. Low hands in Omaha HiLo are determined in
exactly the same way they're determined in 7 Card Stud Hi Lo.
Types of Omaha Hi Lo Games
Omaha Hi Lo can be played in the following formats:
Limit Omaha Hi Lo - Specific betting limit applied in each game
and on each round of betting.
Pot Limit Omaha Hi Lo - Bets are
limited to the amount of chips in the pot.
No Limit Omaha Hi Lo - A player
can bet all of the chips he has available.
Rules for Playing Omaha Hi Lo
In Omaha Hi Lo poker, a disc also known as "the button", indicates
which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. Before the
game begins, the player immediately clockwise the button posts the
"small blind", typically half a small bet (for example, $1 in a $2/$4
Omaha Hi Lo game). The player immediately clockwise the small blind
posts the "big blind", which is always a full small bet ($2 in a $2/$4
omaha Hi Lo game). Now, each player receives his or her four hole
cards. Betting action proceeds around the table, starting with the
player on the immediately clockwise the big blind.
Now, the "flop" is dealt face-up on the board. The flop is the first
three community cards available to all active players. Betting begins
with the active player immediately clockwise the button. All bets and
raises occur in small bets (increments of $2 in a $2/$4 game).
When betting action is completed for the flop round, the "turn" is
dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in
an Omaha Hi Lo game. Play begins with the active player immediately
clockwise the button. On this round, betting doubles from the small
bet to the big bet. In a $2/$4 game, betting on the turn is done in $4
increments.
When betting action is completed for the turn round, the "river" is
dealt face-up on the board. The river is the fifth and final community
card in an Omaha Hi Lo game. Betting begins with the active player
immediately clockwise the button.
If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting
round is complete, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards.
If there was no bet on the final round, the player immediately
clockwise the button shows his or her cards first. The player with the
best five-card hand for high wins half the pot, and the player with
the best hand for low wins the other half. In Omaha, players must use
two and only two of their four hole cards in combination with three
cards from the board. In the event of identical hands, the high and
low shares of the pot will be equally divided between the players with
the best hands. In the event that no hand qualifies for low, the best
hand(s) for high wins the pot.
After the pot is awarded, a new Omaha Hi Lo game is ready to be
played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player.
Omaha Hi Lo is growing very fast in popularity, especially with the
exposure of online poker. So while learning the rules of Omaha Hi Lo
can take some getting used to, it is an entertaining poker variant
that many regular Omaha poker players, as well as Texas holdem players
have learned to enjoy.
Courtesy of PokerStars
|
