How to Play Omaha Hi Lo

Omaha Hi Lo Poker is one of the most popular hold’em style poker games being played today. Texas holdem poker has enjoyed a long run of popularity, but poker players are always on the lookout for variations of a game that can make playing more fun and profitable. Omaha Hi Lo Poker is one of those games.

There are a few differences between the two games of Texas Holdem and Omaha Hi Lo. One difference between the two card games is the number of cards dealt. In both games, players are trying to make the best five-card hand out of their own individual hand and the community cards. However, in Texas holdem, players are dealt two cards face down and five cards in the flop, or community. In Omaha Hi Lo, players get four cards down to start with and then five cards which are face up. There are three rounds of betting, and this varies depending upon your chosen game structure. Players must make the best hand using two cards from among their pocket cards and three cards from the flop.

Each player must use exactly two of their pocket cards and 3 cards from the board; at the showdown, each player can use any two pocket cards for their high hand and any two pocket cards for their low hand. Often this is the most difficult part for a new Omaha Hi Lo player to grasp.

The other primary difference between the two games is that Omaha Hi Lo rewards the lowest hand (a straight up to an eight high) and the highest hand according to traditional poker rankings. If no player has a valid low hand, then the winner of the high hand wins the whole pot. In Omaha Hi Low, a single player may hold both the highest and the lowest hands and win both of the pots.