How to Play Omaha Poker Hi / Lo

Omaha Hi/Lo poker has a different payout system than standard Omaha, but game play is basically the same between the two games. In Hi/Lo, players have two chances to take a piece of the pot. As in most standard poker games, the hand with the highest ranking, or the “hi” hand wins. In this version, however, the lowest ranked hand or “lo” hand also takes half of the pot. In order for the lower hand to qualify, however, there must be no cards higher than an eight in the combination.

Up until the showdown and the payout, the game is played as a standard Omaha poker game. Players combine two of their four hole cards with three of the five community cards to make a five-card poker hand. Only the player sees hole cards until the showdown, while community cards are visible to and playable by everyone.

As with standard Omaha and Hold’em games, betting consists of four rounds. In online poker, the dealer is replaced by a dealer button and is the starting point of play for each hand. Play, as always in poker, moves clockwise around the table. PayPal Casino Games and Online Poker Paypal.

Betting Blinds

Before any cards are dealt to the players, the blinds must be bet for the hand. The small blind is bet by the player immediately to the left of the dealer. The player seated on their left will place the big blind. As soon as these chips are in the pot, hole cards are dealt.

Pre-Flop

The first round of play consists of players receiving their hole cards. The dealer will distribute four cards to each player, facedown. Once the deal is complete, the player to the left of the player who bet the big blind will open the betting for the round. They must choose between three options for play:

Raise – Place a bet lager than the big blind

Call – Match the big blind

Fold – Step away from the hand without betting

Betting continues around the table, in a clockwise motion, until it reaches the big blind. This player has the option to check, if no one has raised the bet, and can stay in the game without adding more chips to the pot. If someone has already raised the bet, they must re-raise, call, or fold.

The Flop

Next, the first three community cards will be dealt. The flop, as it is called, will allow the players to see the first of the cards they can use to make their hand. Once the cards are revealed, betting continues, as in the pre-flop, clockwise around the table.

The Turn

Players will again have the option to call, fold, or raise, during this round. Once the dealer has dealt the fourth community card.

The River

The dealing of the fifth community card is called the river. Once this card is dealt, the final round of betting will begin, and players left in the game will continue to the showdown.

The Showdown

After betting is finished, the remaining players will take part in the showdown. The hole cards are revealed and the winners are decided. The highest and lowest ranking hands will equally split the pot. If there is a tie, the entire pot is divided among the winners equally. In the event that there is an odd chip, the high hand who is seated closest to the dealer’s left will get the extra chip. If there are no low hands that meet the table requirements, the high hand wins it all.