Omaha Hi-Lo

Introduction:  Omaha Hi-Lo is a split poker game that has quickly become a favourite among recreational online poker players.  Omaha Hi-Lo affords players several opportunities for making unique hands within the course of a game.  In many instances the player with the best hand at the conclusion of the game shares the pot with another player.

History:  Omaha Hi-Lo Poker is a variation of Omaha Hi, which is a derivative of popular online poker game, Texas Holdem.  It is generally believed that the game was introduced to Las Vegas land casinos in the early 1980’s.  Because of its easy rules and two ways to win, the game quickly caught on in popularity.

However, it wasn’t until a few years ago that online poker room aficionados picked up on its excitement and fun.  Presently, Omaha Hi-Lo is exceeding the expectations of online casino operators and the game is taking its rightful place among online gambling’s elite Poker games.

Variants:  As with other Poker variations, there are different limits, depending on the rules established by the particular online poker room in which you play.  There are three basic pot variants in Omaha Hi-Lo:  Limit, in which there are set amounts that you can bet during each round; No Limit, in which there is a fixed blind amount, but players are able to bet any amount up from the minimum; Pot Limit, in which there are generally minimum and maximum buy-ins, but there are no structured betting protocols during the game.

Other Omaha Hi-Lo variants exist as well.  There is the hi-lo split poker variation, wherein a low hand winner may share the pot with the high hand winner, and there is also the “kill game” variant.  Here, fixed limit stakes are doubled in games succeeding those in which a player wins both the high and the low hands.

Rules:  Omaha Hi-Lo rules differ from those of Omaha Hi in that, where there exists a player with five unpaired cards with a value of “8” or lower than “8”, the winning pot is split between high and low hands.  An Ace counts as “1” and straights and flushes have no value to the low hand. 

The game begins with a minimum blind bet, usually $1 or $2.  The dealer gives each player four cards face down.  There are three community cards placed on the table in each round.  At the end, the final community card (4th) is placed on the table.  Each player makes his best hand by combining two of his four face down cards with three of the four community cards dealt.  Players can have the best high hand, the best low hand, or the best of both.

Betting:  Betting commences with a minimum blind bet.  The amount of this bet is pre-determined by the rules of the particular table at which you are playing.  Subsequent to the initial bet, there are four rounds of betting.  The flop, the turn, and the river are played exactly the same as with the Texas Holdem and Omaha Hi versions of Poker.

In many ways, there are fewer hands that play in Omaha Hi-Lo than in Omaha Hi.  This is due to the fact that players need a good starting hand to stay in the game.  Obviously, one of the best initial hands one can draw involves an Ace combined with another card whose value is “8” or less.

At Showdown, if there is a high winner and a low winner, the pot is split.  If there is a high winner only, that person scoops the entire pot.  For online patrons, the extra incentive of a possible low hand win makes Omaha Hi-Lo a special attraction.