Omaha Hi-Low Split

Omaha Hi-Low Split Overview

Omaha Hi-Low Split is a very commonly played variant of Hold’em Poker. The primary differences between Omaha Hi-Low Split and Texas Hold’em are that in Omaha Hi-Low, each player gets four hole cards and must use two hole cards and three community cards for their hand. One more twist to Omaha Hi-Low split is that the pot is split between the highest hand and the lowest hand. Sometimes, the same player holds both!

Like Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Low Split can be played by as many as eight players, and as few as two.

Omaha Hi-Low Split Rules

Like all Hold’em games, the beginning of the Omaha Hi-Low Split game is the placing of the blinds. The player to the left of the dealer, also known as the button, places the small blind. The player to the left of the small blind, places the big blind, which is twice the value of the small blind. In a fixed-limit game, the big blind is equal to the betting increment in the early rounds.

After the blinds have been placed, each player receives four hole cards. Beginning with player to the left of the big blind, each player decides whether to call the current bet, raise, or fold.

After all betting has been completed, the dealer deals the first three community cards. These three cards together are known as the flop. After the flop, there is another round of betting, beginning with the small blind this time. After this round of betting, another community card is dealt, known as the turn. In a fixed-limit game, the round of betting after the turn is played at the higher wager amount, which is generally double the initial wager amount. When the betting after the turn is completed, the final card, known as the river is dealt. After one more round of betting, players get to the showdown.

The showdown in Omaha Hi-Low is interesting as there can be two winning hands. Players form two separate hands, each containing exactly two of their hole cards and three of the community cards. The two hands have to overlap for at least one community card, and may or may not overlap for the other cards. In live play, players may need to specify the high and low hand. Low hands must not contain any cards above the number eight, and they may not contain pairs. If no one has a qualifying low hand, then the pot is not split and the player with the highest value hand wins the whole pot. The best possible low hand is A,2,3,4,5. Straights and flushes do not count in the low hand. When a single player has both the highest and lowest hand, they are considered to have “scooped” the pot.