Thursday, 25 September 2008 03:37

The rules for playing Omaha Hi Lo poker are as follows:

Omaha poker shares many of its own rules with Texas Hold’em poker, although there are some important differences, but the highest hand wins.

To begin a game, each player is dealt four cards face-down. In order to form the best hand possible, players use their four face-down cards plus any of the five community cards that are dealt face-up in the middle of the table.

To form the best five card hand, a player uses any two of their hole cards (as there is no option to use just one) plus any three of the community cards. As an example, if a player holds the Ace of hearts and King of diamonds face-down and the community cards are the 10, 9, 3 and 2 of hearts and the Queen spades, the best hand that player can make is Ace high and not a flush (as would be possible in Hold’em), as they must use both of their hole cards.

For straights, the ace plays both high and low.

There is a three raise limit per round.

Omaha is also commonly played as a high or low split game, where the highest and lowest hands divide the pot.

In addition to Low there are Omaha variations.

In Limit Omaha High, a specific betting limit is applied; in Pot Limit Omaha High, the player bets on the pot.
Omaha 8-or-Better is a popular game and it offers players 2 variations: Limit Omaha 8-or-Better (with a specific betting limit) and Pot Limit Omaha 8-or-Better.

A Quick Look at Hands

Royal Flush
Straight Flush
4-of-a-Kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
3-of-a-Kind
2 Pair
Pair
High Card