Omaha Hi Low Poker
Omaha Hi Low is a fun and skilful version of Omaha poker in which players can play for a half share of the total pot. The same rules as standard Omaha apply and the objective of the game is the same: to make up a winning five card hand from three of the five community cards dealt in the game and two of the four hole cards a player receives at the start.
However, unlike Omaha poker where the highest hand wins the full pot, players can make two hands in Omaha Hi Low. One of these hands should consist of high cards, while the other is based on low. For the purposes of the game, eight and above is considered a high hand.
A game of Omaha Hi Low begins the same way a regular game of Omaha does. Blind bets or ante bets are posted and the dealer gives each player four cards. Two of these cards go toward a player's high hand and the other two go toward the low hand. An Ace can be played as either high or low. Players commence the first betting round when they have checked the identity of their cards and have evaluated the strength of their high and low hands.
After all players have taken their turn to bet, the flop takes place. Three community cards are dealt here and each player makes a second bet based on the influence of these cards on their high and low poker hands. In this round, it is possible for players to check if they do not wish to place bets. The other options are to call or raise the bet, or to fold if a player feels he will be unable to improve his poker hand.
After this betting round is complete, the dealer places another community card on the table. Known as the turn, this fourth card instigates another betting round. The last card, known as the river, is the final opportunity a player has in a game of Omaha Poker to complete his high or low poker hand. After a final round of betting after the river card has been drawn, final showdown takes place. This is where each player must reveal his high and low card hands. The same cards can be used to make up two hands. The player with the highest high card and the player with the highest low card hand share the contents of the pot equally.
Often a game of Omaha Hi Low poker does not produce a low hand winner. A hand can only qualify as low if it consists of five cards below the value of eight. For example, an unbeatable low card hand would be five, four, three, two and Ace. This hand would also give a player a five card high straight to play as a high hand. In this way, you can see how card combinations can be used for both hands.
Because
Omaha Hi Low is a split pot game, it is worthwhile remembering that you must produce
two winning hands if you want to claim the entire pot for yourself. For this reason,
advanced Omaha Hi Low players will only continue to play starting hands that offer
them the chance of making two winning poker hands. The reason why many Omaha
Hi Low games fail to produce a low hand winner is that good players will fold
after the flop or the turn if they feel their cards are not enough to win at least
one hand.
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