Master the Omaha Hi Lo rules

What is Omaha Hi Lo?

Omaha Hi Lo (or Omaha High Low/Hi Low) is very similar to regular Omaha poker, but the pot is split between a high hand (the same as in ordinary Omaha) and a low hand (which is based on five cards, which start at eight or below - (see our poker hand ranking page for more information).

Omaha Hi Lo rules and how to play

The rules of Omaha Hi Low are easy to learn. Players are dealt four 'hole' cards face down, and five 'community' cards that everyone can see and use. Each player must use two of their hole cards, as well as three of the community cards, to make their hand.

The game is divided into four rounds of betting, and the betting moves around the table in a clockwise direction. The betting starts from the position next to the dealer button, which moves one place to the left after each hand. In online games, the dealer button replaces the 'real' dealer.

If two or more players are in a tie from holding an equally-strong winning five-card hand, the pot will be split between the tying players. If there is an odd chip, it will be given to the winner of the high hand. At partypoker the value of the odd chip is 1 cent.

The Blinds

Ahead of game starting, the two players to the left of the dealer post 'blind' bets, so-called because they are made before the players have seen any cards. The blinds guarantee that there is some money in the pot to play for at the initial stages of the game.

The player to the left of the dealer posts the 'small blind', and the player to his left posts the 'big blind'.

Pre-Flop

Each player receives four cards that only they can see, called 'hole' cards. After this, the first round of betting is started by the first player to the left of the big blind. This player, who is known as 'under the gun', can:

Call

Equal the amount bet in the big blind,

Raise

increase the bet, or

Fold

Give up his cards and stake in the game.

Eventually the betting will come back to the player who made the big blind (the first full bet), that player can 'check' or choose to stay in the game without adding anything further to the pot. However, if an opponent has raised, the big blind player has three options: he must fold, call, or re-raise.

The Flop

Three 'community' cards are dealt face-up on the table. These cards can be seen by all players and used to make their five-card hand. A second round of betting follows.

The Turn

On the turn a fourth card is dealt face up on the table. The third round of betting follows.

The River

The fifth community card is dealt. This is the final card and is followed by the final round of betting.

The Showdown

If there is more than one player left in the game, the next stage is the showdown. At this point, the players turn-up their cards and the player with the highest hand wins half the pot and the lowest low hand wins the other half. The same player can have both the best high and low hands. However, if none of the players has a low hand, then the highest hand wins the entire pot.