Omaha High / Low (8/b... 8 or better)

Poker Players are allowed to use exactly 2 pocket cards and exactly 3 community cards for their best high hand and potentially 2 completely different pocket cards and a different combination of 3 community cards for their best qualifying low hand. One-half of the pot is awarded to the player with the best high five-card hand. One-half of the pot is awarded to the player with the best qualifying low five-card hand (could be the same person who one the high hand pot.) If no one makes a qualifying low hand (a hand where the highest card is 8 or lower) the entire pot will be awarded to the high hand winner full tilt poker .

Basic Game Structure

Blinds are posted

4 pocket cards are dealt to each player

Pre flop betting occurs

The flop is dealt (3 community cards)

A 2nd round of betting occurs

The turn card is dealt (the 4th community card)

A 3rd round of betting occurs

The river card is dealt (the 5th community card)

A final round of betting occurs

Showdown occurs (hands must use 2 pocket cards and 3 community cards)

Detailed Rules

Poker Omaha 8/b is played with a standard 52-card deck and as many as 10 participants. A dealer "button" is used to indicate the position of the player who would be dealing the cards if the players were actually dealing the cards themselves. The 5 cards draw player holding the button acts last and thus has a positional advantage that remains throughout the hand. After each hand, the button is moved one position clockwise, so that all players in the game have, after a full round, had exactly the same number of opportunities to hold positional advantage.

The two players on the button's immediate left must post "blind" bets...that is, amounts they place in the pot before they see their cards. Typically, the player in the very first position posts a blind bet one-half the size of the player in the second position, although in some games, the first bet (called the "small blind") may be as little as one-third or as much as two-thirds the size of the second bet (called the "big blind").

All participants are now dealt four cards face down. These are pocket cards and belong exclusively to their "owners," and are not seen by the other players at any time until the showdown at the end of the hand. A round of betting takes place at this point, which is called "before the flop" or "pre-flop."

Once the pre-flop betting is complete, the three cards are dealt face-up. These are "community" cards that belong to everyone, and these three cards are called "the flop."

A second round of betting follows. In the second betting round, the player closest to the left of the button, who is still in the hand, stud acts first. After everyone places his or her bets, a 4th community card is dealt which is called the "Turn" card, or "Fourth Street."

After the third round of betting concludes, the dealer reveals the fifth and final community card, called "the River," or "Fifth Street," which leads to a final round of betting.

At the end of the final round of betting, any players still remaining in the hand turn their cards over. If at any point during the hand, one player makes a bet that all others decline to call, the hand is over immediately, and the player who made the final wager takes the pot without the need to show his or her cards. The player who can assemble the best five-card high hand wins half of the pot. The poker player who can assemble the best qualifying five-card low hand wins the other half of the pot. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand winner is awarded the entire pot. It is feasible for a single player to win both the high hand and the low hand pots.

Qualifying Low Hands Qualifying low hands consist of five cards with different numerical values from Ace to Eight (thus 8 or "better"). If more than one player meets this criteria, the player with the lowest high card will win the low hand pot. (e.g. Ah, 2d, 5c, 6c 7d BEATS Ac, 2c, 6d, 7h, 8d. Straights and flushes do not count against a low hand however, since all cards need to have different numerical values, a pair is not eligible.

Something to keep in mind: Since players must use 3 community cards to make a low hand, if there are not 3 community cards with values of 8 or less, it is not possible for a qualifying low hand to occur during that game.

Split Pots

The potential for split pots in Omaha 8/b is greater than in other limit games. First, if a game has both a high hand and a qualifying low hand at the showdown, the pot will be split between the winning hands. It could be split further if multiple players have the same hand evaluation for either the high hand and/or the low hand. And then, just imagine what could happen if there are multiple all-ins during the hand!

Example Hand Evaluation for Omaha

To make their best hand in Omaha 8/b, players are allowed to use exactly 2 pocket cards and exactly 3 community cards for their best high hand and potentially 2 completely different pocket cards and a different combination of 3 community cards for their best low hand.

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Game Types

Our poker online room has three different types of Omaha High-Low, with the only difference being the amounts and limits available for each betting round. In a Fixed Limit game, both the bet and raise amounts for each round are a preset amount. For example, in a $5/$10 Fixed game, both the bets and raises for the first two rounds of betting must be $5, no more, no less. The last 2 poker rounds have a bet/raise amount of $10.

In a Pot Limit Game, the maximum bet/raise can't be more than the current pot amount. So, if the pot is $30, you can't bet more than $30. One thing to note: If you are raising on a player's bet, your call is already included in the pot. So, for example, let's say the pot is $100. poker Player X opens the betting with $100. Your maximum bet is now $300 (Pot = Initial $100 + Player X's $100 + your $100)

The final game type is No Limit. The name says it all; there are no maximum bet limits. You can bet as much as you like during any round of betting, with the minimum bet being the big blind amount. No Limit Omaha High-Low makes for some pretty big pots, and lots of action.

Now that you've chosen a game type, it's time to talk about 3 other betting concepts.. The Stakes, The Cap and The Blinds.

The Stakes: The stakes are tied directly to the game type you select. For a Fixed Limit game, the stakes dictate the bet and raise amount for each round. Let's use our $5/$10 stakes example again. In the first two rounds of betting, both the bet and the raise must be $5, no more, no less. The last 2 rounds have a bet/raise amount of $10.

The Cap: In a fixed limit game, each round of betting can consist of one bet and has a maximum of three of allowable raises, known as the cap. So, if a bet is made, that bet can only be raised three times, after which all players must call, or fold. However, if only two players remain in the hand the cap is increased, to a maximum of 5 raises. This rule is in effect for all the betting rounds, with the idea being to speed up play.

In both the Pot Limit and No Limit games, the stakes represent the amounts posted as the blinds. More on the blinds next.

The Blinds: The blinds are mandatory bets posted by two players at the start of each hand, before any cards are dealt. The player directly to the left of the dealer posts the small blind, which in a fixed limit game is half the small stake, rounded down to the nearest dollar, and in pot limit/no limit games is equal to the small stake. The player to the left of him posts the big blind, which in a fixed game is equal to the small stake, and in pot limit/no limit games the big stake.

Sound complicated? It really isn't. Let's use our trusty $5/$10 stakes again. In a fixed limit game, the small blind posts $2 (half of $5 rounded down). The big blind posts $5. In a $5/$10 pot limit/no limit game, the small blind posts $5, and the big blind posts $10.

In Omaha High-Low we use blinds as an incentive for players to play a hand, and build the pot. Consider the blinds like a mandatory bet and raise; any players that want to play the hand must match the big blind to stay in. The blinds are considered live bets, so when the action goes around the table and returns to them, they have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding as they see fit.

Some other notes about blinds: Any player has the option of sitting out and waiting for the big blind to reach them. However, if a player sits out and misses posting the big blind, then that player will be required to post a big blind and a small "dead" blind before returning. This rule is in place to prevent potential abuse from players who join a table and then leave before having to post the blinds.

One thing we haven't talked much about is the dealer. In poker each player in turn plays as the dealer. At the table we represent the dealer position with...

The Dealer Button: The poker Button is a graphic symbol that represents the theoretical dealer. After each hand the button moves clockwise to the next active player, who becomes the dealer for that hand. This player is considered to be "on the button," and is the last person to act in the betting round. The first player to the left of the button is the first player to be dealt cards, and is the first player to act in each betting round.

The Game Play:

OK, let's play some Omaha High-Low. You've bought in to a table, sat down and posted your big blind. What's next?

Pre Flop.The Pocket Cards: (AKA the Hole Cards). The dealer deals each player 4 cards face down. Only the player can see his/her hole cards. After the deal, the next player after the big blind decides whether to call, raise or fold the big blind. Each player in turn is given these options, until all bets are called and the big blind checks. Don't forget, in a fixed limit game, any raises are limited to the lower stake amount, and in a pot limit game, the bet can't exceed the pot amount.

The Flop: Now the dealer turns over the first three community cards, called "the flop". All betting rounds start with the player directly to the dealers left. For fixed limit games, this round of betting still uses the lower stake, so in our example $5/$10 game, any bets or raises must be $5. The pot limit and no limit rules don't change.

The Turn: (AKA Fourth Street). The fourth community card is dealt, and a new betting round begins. The bet amount for fixed limit games increases to the upper stake. Betting continues until all bets are called.

The River: Here the final community card is shown, and the last round of betting takes place. The bet amount for fixed limit games is still the big stake.

The Showdown: OK, now all the bets have been called, and it's time to pay the winners. The last player to bet or raise during the final betting round (the river) will show their hand first. If all the players checked through (nobody bet) on the river, the player to the left of the dealer will show first. The remaining players' hands will be automatically poker revealed moving clockwise, unless a hand is weaker than the winning hand shown. In this case, you'll have the option to show, or muck (fold without showing). The highest and the lowest 5 card hands split the pot. A player can use any 5 cards in their hand to win either the high or the low, or both. Remember, a winning Omaha High-Low hand must use 2 cards from the pocket, and 3 of the community cards. For a complete list of hand rankings, please consult the Hand Rankings page .

Buying the pot: If during a betting round you make a bet and all players fold to you, you've bought the pot. You have the option to show or muck your cards.

Uneven split pot: If the pot doesn't split evenly, the player with the high hand takes the extra chips.

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