The object of Omaha Hi/Lo is to create a High hand using any two out of four pocket cards and three out of five community cards, and a Low hand using any two out of four pocket cards and three out of five community cards. 50% of the pot will be awarded to the best High hand and 50% of the pot will be awarded to the best Low hand. If there is no qualifying Low hand, the whole pot will be awarded to the best High hand.

To qualify as a Low hand, the hand must contain five unpaired cards ranked eight (8) or lower. Straights and Flushes are not considered when evaluating low hands. The winning Low hand is the hand with the lowest high card. In case of a tie with the high card, the winning hand is the one with the next lowest high card, etc.

It is not possible to have a qualifying Low hand unless three of the community cards are ranked eight (8) or lower. Aces can be used as the lowest card. A player can use any two of his pocket cards for the High hand, and any two of his pocket cards for the Low hand.

Before the deal:

• Players will buy-in for the posted amount.
• Selected players will post blinds.

The dealer button:

The dealer in Omaha Hi/Lo will start to deal each game with the player who the “button.” The button is a graphical representation (“D”) of which player is the dealer. Although our dealer will be dealing the game, the player who has the button placed in front of his seat gets to play his cards as if he were the actual dealer. When the cards are dealt to players, they are dealt in a manner as if the player was actually dealing in a live environment.

Blinds:

Because there is a player “on the button” two players will be asked to post the Big or Small Blinds. The blinds serve a purpose similar to antes, in that they put forced money into the pot that gives players an incentive to enter the hand. However, only two players will post or put up the blinds.

The first blind is called the “Small Blind.” This bet is usually half the minimum bet of the game.

For example, in a €2-4 game, the Small Blind will be €1. The second blind is called the “Big Blind” and is always the same size as the game’s minimum bet, e.g., in a 2-4 game, the Big Blind is €2.

[R] The player directly left of the button will have the “Small Blind.” The player directly to the left of the Small Blind will have the “Big Blind” of the full amount of the lowest game limit.

Opening deal:

When there is a button and Small and Big Blinds, we are ready to deal. The dealer always deals from the player closest to the dealer’s left. Moving clockwise around the table, the game will “deal-in” each player. The players will be dealt four cards face down. The player seated to the left of the Big Blind will start the round of betting.

Betting on opening deal:

[R] The player seated to the left of the Big Blind will always have the action on the opening deal. This player may not check; he can only fold, call, or raise.

The game will now advance to each player seated asking to fold, call, or raise until we reach the Big Blind for an action decision. If no player has raised by the time the play returns to the Big Blind, the Big Blind has the option to check his own blind wager, or raise.

Once all players have completed the first round of wagering, they will proceed to the Flop.

Flop:

The next cards to be dealt into the game will be the fifth, sixth and seventh cards in the game. These three cards will not be dealt to each player, but rather placed face up in the centre of the table.

But before the Flop, a card must be burned. The dealer will deal one face down card into the pot. After the burn card, the dealer will deal three cards face up in the centre of the poker table. These three cards are called “community cards” and are available to all players for potential use to make a poker hand. The area in which these cards lie on the table is commonly referred to as the “board.”

The look of the flop:

Now the Flop has landed on the board and all players now have seven cards available to make their hand, using the four “hole” cards that were dealt on the opening round and now three “community cards” which all players may use. In Omaha Hi/Lo, each poker hand must consist of exactly two face down cards and three community cards. This is how the next player who has the action is determined:

[R] After the opening deal, the player who is seated closest to the left of the button shall have the initial action for the remainder of the game. If the player who has the button folds, the button is still active and will remain in front of that player’s seat to keep the position of the button constant throughout that game.

The player who has the action may check or bet. As soon as one player chooses to bet, the other players in the hand can no longer check; they can only fold, call, or raise.

The Turn:

The Turn is the fourth card to be dealt onto the board and the eighth card available to the player. It is also called “Fourth Street.” As always, the dealer will burn a card and then deal one card face up onto the board to the right of the last flop card.The look of the turn:

The 9 of spades is the “turn card.”

At this point the players have access to the four cards on the board and their four hole cards. The game will now declare who has the action, which always begins with the player still remaining in the hand who is closest to the left of the button.

The River:

The dealer will then place the fifth and final card on the board.

The Flop cards become the River.

This is how the River looks: