Poker Rules
Omaha Hi-Lo Rules
2007-11-20 09:05:02
The basic game structure of Omaha Hi-Lo is the same as in Omaha High (and Texas Holdem,) with a small and a big blind and three community cards known as the "Flop", followed by a "Turn" and a "River." The game has a dealer button, which is moved one step clockwise after each completed hand. Just like in Omaha High, all players are dealt four hole cards, and exactly two of these must be used with three from the board to make a five card hand.
The Low Hand
The difference between Omaha High and Omaha Hi-Lo is that the pot is split between the highest ranking hand and the lowest. Therefore, the goal of the game is to "scoop" the pot, which happens when you hold both the best high and the best low hand. However, in some cases no low hand will be possible, since it must meet some certain conditions. If there is no qualified low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Just like the high hand, a qualifying low hand must be made up of two of the player's hole cards and three of the community cards, but no card must be higher than an eight. Straights and flushes do not disqualify the low hand, but pairs do. The highest of the low-hand cards determines the winner, which means that 3-4-5-6-7 is a better low hand than A-2-3-4-8. Consequently, the best possible low hand is A-2-3-4-5 and the worst is 4-5-6-7-8.
Quartering
Even if you hold either the best high or the best low hand, it's possible to get "quartered." This happens for instance if your opponent has the same high hand as you, but also a qualifying low hand. The high hand half of the pot will be split, but your opponent wins the remaining half of the pot. For this reason, it's always preferable to have a hand with both high and low possibilities.
Summary
· The betting structure in Omaha Hi-Lo is the same as in Omaha High and Texas Holdem
· You must use exactly two of your hole cards and three community cards to make both the low and the high hand (but not necessarily the same two).
· For a hand to qualify as a low, it must be an unpaired five-card hand made up of cards 8 or lower. Straights and flushes do not disqualify a low hand.
· The pot is split between the high hand (standard hand ranking) and the low hand, if applicable.
