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Royal flush
Straight flush
Four of a kind
Full house
Flush
Straight
Three of a kind
Two pairs
Pair
High card
X
Omaha HI/LO
Omaha HI/LO Deal
Intro
Once all players are gathered around the table with the relevant amount of chips, there are a few steps to be taken before the game commences.
Firstly, a player indicated by ‘the dealer’ marker (‘D') is the designated dealer for the current game.
Secondly, two compulsory bets are taken. The player to the left of the dealer button posts the first forced bet, called ‘the small blind’. The player to the left of the small blind posts the second mandatory bet called ‘the big blind’. The big blind is twice the amount of the small blind.
Finally, each player is dealt four face-down hole cards.
Dealer
The dealer is the table position of the player who acts last in all betting rounds, except for pre-flop as long as they are still active in the hand. The position is also known as the ‘dealer button’ or simply the ‘button’ and is indicated with a ‘D’ marker. The dealer position is important because it determines the order in which the players act.
The dealer is regarded as the best table position. The player in the dealer position can observe the actions of their opponents before their turn comes around. It allows players to analyse their opponents and make decisions based on their opponents' actions.
The dealer changes position after each hand, and the button rotates clockwise around the table. After the first betting round is over, the player to the left of the current dealer button becomes the dealer for the next round.
Small Blind
The small Blind, marked as SB, is the first of the two initial forced bets. It is placed by the player immediately to the left of the dealer and moves one seat clockwise after each hand. In Limit games, the small blind equals one-half of the selected table’s lower betting limit, i.e. if a table’s lower betting limit is $2 in a $2/$4 game, the small blind would be $1. In Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo games, the small blind equals the selected table’s lower betting limit, i.e. if a table’s lower betting limit is $2 in a $2/$4, the small blind would be $2.
Big Blind
The big blind, marked as BB, is the second of the two initial mandatory bets. It is placed by the player immediately to the left of the small blind and moves one space clockwise after each hand. In Limit games, the big blind equals the selected table’s lower betting limit, i.e. if a table’s lower betting limit is $2 in a $2/$4 game, the big blind would be $2. In Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo games, the big blind equals the selected table’s higher betting limit, i.e. if a table’s higher betting limit is $4 in a $2/$4 game, the big blind would be $4. The amount of the big blind is the minimum bet in the current game round. The small and big blinds are important because they incite the action and get the game going, with money already in the pot to win.
Hole cards
After the small and big blinds are posted, each player gets four face-down cards. These are the players’ individual starting cards, also known as hole cards.
Omaha HI/LO Pre-Flop
Intro
Once the small and big blinds have been posted and all players have been dealt four hole cards, the first round of betting begins. This round is called the pre-flop. The player to the left of the big blind acts first, and only one player can act at a time. The betting action moves clockwise around the table. Each player has the following four options: call, raise, fold or raise pot, in the pot-limit versions of this game. With no prior raise, the big blind can also check.
First player to act
The action starts with the player to the left of the big blind. The position of the player who acts first in the pre-flop round is known as ‘under the gun’ (UTG). It is considered to be the weakest table position because the ‘under the gun’ player has to make decisions with no prior information about their opponents play. The minimum bet amount that the first player can make must equal the big blind.
Call
To call is to match the bet made by the previous player. The first bet after the big blind needs to at least match the big blind amount, or raise it.
Raise
To raise is to increase the bet amount made by the previous player. If a raise is already in place, all the subsequent bets have to equal or be higher than that last bet. In Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo games, the maximum raise is restricted to the amount of the pot for each instance. In Limit games, the maximum bet amount is set at the lower table stakes, up to four raises in the pre-flop and post-flop rounds. Post turn and post river, the maximum bet is fixed at the higher table stakes – up to four raises.
Fold
To fold is to not play the hand. If you decide to fold you are no longer eligible to take part in any more betting until a new game round starts.
Check
To check means to bet nothing. In the pre-flop round, only the big blind has an option to check if no-one has raised. If there is a raise, the big blind can either call, raise, fold or raise pot.
End of betting
The betting round ends when all players, who have not folded, have contributed equally to the pot.
Omaha HI/LO Flop
Intro
Once the pre-flop round has finished, three face-up community cards are dealt on the poker table. These cards make up what is called the flop. A second round of betting begins.
The first player to act is the first player still active in the game to the left of the dealer. This player has two options: check or place a bet. The action moves clockwise around the table. If the first player checks, the next player has those two same options. Once an initial bet is placed, the other players can call, raise, fold or raise pot in Omaha pot-limit variations.
Flop
Three face-up community cards are dealt on the table.
Betting limit
In Limit games, the minimum betting amount is set at the lower limit stake, before and after the flop; and the maximum raise is set at four times the big blind. For example, in $2/$4 limit game, the minimum bet amount is equal to $2, pre-flop and post-flop. This amount increases to the higher table stake on the turn and river. For example, in the same $2/$4 limit game the minimum bet amount would be $4 on the turn and river. In pot-limit versions of Omaha, the maximum raise is restricted to the amount of the pot for each instance.
First player’s actions
The first person to act is the first active player seated to the left of the dealer button. They have two options: check or bet. If the first player decides to check (bets nothing), the action passes, clockwise, to the next player.
Other players’ actions
Once the initial bet is placed, all the remaining players have three options: call, raise, fold or raise pot in pot-limit versions of this game.
End of betting
The betting round ends when all players, who have not folded, have wagered equal amounts in the pot. If all players decide to check in the current betting round, meaning there are no new bets, the pot remains the same as in the pre-flop round. If all players, except one, decide to fold in the current round, the player who has not folded wins the pot, and the betting round comes to an end.
Omaha HI/LO Turn
Intro
After the betting action is completed for the flop round, a fourth face-up community card is dealt on the table. This card is referred to as the turn. A third round of betting begins.
The first player to act is the first player still in the game, seated on the dealer's left. The action moves clockwise around the table. The first player to act has two options: check or bet. Once an initial bet is made, the other players in the hand can also call, raise, fold or raise pot, in pot-limit versions of this game.
Turn
The fourth face-up community card is dealt on the table.
Betting limit
The betting limit is raised to the higher table stakes, which is usually double the lower stake. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game the highest bet amount is equal to $4.
First player’s actions
The first person to act is the first active player to the left of the dealer. They have two options: check or place a bet. If the first player decides to check (bets nothing), the action passes clockwise to the next player.
Other players’ actions
Once the initial bet is placed, all the remaining players have three options: call, raise, fold or raise pot, in pot-limit versions of this game.
End of betting
The betting round ends when all players, who have not folded, have placed equal amounts in the pot. If all players decide to check in the current betting round, meaning there are no new bets, the amount in the pot remains the same as after the flop betting round. If all players, except one, decide to fold in the current round, the player who has not folded wins the pot, and the betting round ends.
Omaha HI/LO River
Intro
After the turn round has finished, the fifth and last face-up community card is placed on the table. This card is called the river. The fourth and last betting round begins.
As in the previous three rounds, the betting starts with the first player to the left of the dealer, who is still active in the hand. This player has two options: to check or bet. Once an initial bet is placed, other players can call, raise, fold or raise pot, in pot-limit versions of this game. Action then moves clockwise around the table.
River
The fifth and final face-up community card is dealt on the table.
Betting limit
The betting limit is raised (as on the turn) to the higher table stakes, which is usually double the lower stake. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game the highest bet amount is equal to $4.
First player’s actions
The first person to act is the first active player to the left of the dealer. They have two options: check or place a bet. If the first player decides to check (bets nothing), the action passes clockwise to the next player.
Other players’ actions
Once the initial bet is placed, all the remaining players have three options: call, raise, fold or raise pot, in pot-limit versions of this game.
All-in
All-in is a bet that places all of a player’s chips in the pot. Usually, if a player wants to continue in a hand but does not have enough money to call the current bet, they can go an all-in for whatever amount they have left in their stack.
However, if the all-in player wins the hand, they can only lay claim to the total amount of their stack. In other words, if they go all-in for $25, and their two opponents have $100 each, they can only win $25 from each player, for a total of $75 (including their $25 all-in).
End of betting
The betting round ends when all players, who have not folded, have placed equal amounts in the pot. If all players decide to check in the current betting round, meaning there are no new bets, the amount in the pot remains the same as after the flop betting round. If all players, except one, decide to fold in the current round, the player who has not folded wins the pot, and the betting round ends.
Omaha HI/LO Showdown
Intro
After the final betting round ends with all the money in the pot, it is time for the players who are still in the game to reveal their cards. Showdown in Omaha Hi-Lo is only possible, if there is more than one player still active a hand. If only one player makes it to this stage, they will win all the money in the pot. At this stage, each of the remaining players must use any two of their four hole cards plus any three of the five community cards to form both/either the best high and/or the best low hand. The best low hand gets half the pot, and the best high hand gets the other half. If there is no qualifying low hand, the player with the best high hand wins all the money chips in the pot.
The hand
To form the best five-card low and/or high hand combination, the players must use two – and only two - of their four hole cards, plus three of the five community cards.
The order at showdown
The first player to show their cards is the player closest to the SB. Players go clockwise around the table, showing their cards. However, in live games it is common for the player, who bets or raises last – and gets called - to show first.
Hi hand
High hands are formed in accordance with the standard poker hands ranking chart.
Lo hand
Low hands are formed by using the eight lowest cards in the deck, i.e. eight through ace. The best possible low is 5-4-3-2-A. You must still use only two of the four hole cards along with any three community cards. You can use different cards to form your best highest and lowest combinations.
The winner/winners
There can be one or two winners in Omaha Hi-Lo. The chips in the pot are split 50/50 between the players with the highest hand and the lowest hand, as long as there is a qualifying low hand. If there is no qualifying low hand, the player with the highest hand wins all the money in the pot.
It is also possible that one player could form both the best high and low hand, at the same time. In those instances, that player “scoops” - wins the whole pot.
Omaha HI/LO Tips
Tip 1
It is important to remember that the low hand always counts downwards from the highest card first.
For example, here are two low hands:
a) 8 - 4 - 3 - 2 - A and b) 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3
Example ‘b’ is a better low hand – even without an ace, because the highest card in that hand is a 7. Whereas in example ‘a’, the highest low-card is an 8.
If the highest low-cards in all low combinations are the same, the next highest card down will be the tiebreaker. For example, 8 - 4 - 3 - 2 - A and 8 - 5 - 3 - 2 – A. The first low hand wins, because the second low card is a 4, which is lower than the 5 in the second example.
It is also possible for two or more players to have identical low hands. For example, 8-7-6-5-4 and 8-7-6-5-4. In this case, the 50% of the pot allocated to the best low hand would be split between those two players. They would each receive 25% of the pot.
Tip 2
If you are already familiar with Texas Hold'em rules, Omaha can seem very similar. However, it is very important to remember that a player must use any two – but only two - of their four hole cards along with any three of the community cards to form a hand.
Omaha HI/LO Play
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Royal flush
Royal flush is the absolute best possible card combination in poker. It contains five cards of the same suit, in sequence from 10 to Ace. It is an unbeatable hand and you can be sure you win the pot or at least some part of it.
Remember, that all suits are equal in poker games. It may be a situation when two or more players hold a royal flush but is highly unlikely. In this case the pot is split between those two players.
Royal flush is a kind of straight flush and is considered the most rare poker hand combination. There are only four possible royal flush hands, one for each suit. The chances of you being dealt a royal flush are very minimal, only 0.00015%. However, if you are lucky you can confidently place an all-in with a royal flush.
Straight flush
Straight flush is the highest of all poker hands. It consists of five cards in sequence, all of the same suit. If there are more than one straight flush at showdown, the one containing the highest top card wins the pot Bearing in mind that all suits in poker are equal, in an event of multiple players reviling a straight flush with the same cards value the pot is split between them. The ace (A) can be used as both the highest (A - K - Q - J - 10) and the lowest card (5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - A). In the first example, the hand is a royal flush - the best possible five-card combination. The second example shows the lowest possible straight flush.
There are 40 possible straight flushes, including four royal flushes in poker. The chances of you being dealt a straight flush are pretty slim at just 0.00139%.
Four of a kind
Four-of-a-kind or also known as quads is the next highest ranking hand after the starting flush. It consists of any four cards with the same rank and any other card. If there are more than one player with a quads at showdown, the player with the highest four cards wins the pot.
In poker games with community cards, if two or more players share the same four-of-a-kind, the winner is decided by the bigger fifth card, also known as the ‘kicker’.
There are 624 possible four-of-a-kind hands. The best one contains four aces, the lowest is made up of 2 - 2 - 2 - 2. The chances of being dealt a quads are also very rare at 0.024%.
Full house
Full house is the next highest ranking hand after four-of-a-kind. It has three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of a different rank. If there are more that one full houses at the showdown, the player with highest rank of the three cards wins the pot. In poker games with community cards, it is possible that several players share three matching cards from the board. In this case, the player with the higher pair wins the pot.
There are 3.744 possible combinations of a full house. The highest possible is three aces and two kings (A - A - A - K - K) and the lowest is 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 3. The probability of being dealt a full house is 0.1441%.
Flush
Flush is rather strong poker hand. It consists of any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence. If there are more than one flushes at showdown, the player with the highest top card wins the pot. If both players have the same highest card in a hand, the second highest card is compared, and so on, until a difference is found. If there is no difference between the two hands, the players split the pot. Remember, the suits are equal in poker, so it makes no odds which suit you use to form a hand.
There are 5.108 possible combinations and chances of being dealt a flush are 0.1965%.
Straight
Straight is a poker hand that contains any five connected cards in sequence with at least two different suits. If there are two or more straight hands at showdown, the player with the highest top card wins the pot. If the highest card in all the straights is of the same rank, the pot is split among the players. All suits are equal in poker, they can not be used to determine a winner.
The ace in a straight may be used as both a high (A - K - Q - J - 10) and low (5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - A) card. The first example, known as ‘Broadway’’, shows the highest ranking straight. In contract to the second example called the ‘wheel’ in poker terms, which is the lowest possible straight.
There are 10.240 possible straight combinations, making it a 0.39% chance of being dealt one.
Three of a kind
Three-of-a-kind is the next ranking hand after staring. It consists of any three cards of the same rank and any two other cards. If there are two or more players with a three-of-a-kind at showdown, the highest fourth card, also known as the ‘kicker’, decided who the winner is. If the fourth card did not determine the winner, the fifth card is considered. In a situation where all revealed three-of-a-kind hands are equal, the pot is split divided among the winning players.
In Texas Hold’em and other flop games, three-of-a-kind is called a ‘set’. It is when a player has a pair on his private (hole) cards and one card of a matching rank on the board, for example, 5 - 5 on your hole cards and 5 on the board. Another possible type of three-of-a-kind is ‘trips’. it is made up of a matching pair on the board and one hole card, for example, 5 - 5 - 4 on the board and 5 on your hole cards.
There are 54.912 possible three-of-a-kind hands. The likelihood of being dealt such a combination is 2.1128%.
Two pairs
Two pair speaks for itself. It is basically a poker hand made up of two pairs of a different rank and any other card. If there are several players with a two pair, they are compared by the highest pair in each hand. The best two pair wins the pot. If the highest pairs are equal, the second pair determine the winner. If none of the pairs can be used to determine the winner, the player with the highest fifth card, also called the ‘kicker’, gets all the money from the pot. It is also possible that two players have absolutely equal two pairs, in that case the pot is split between them.
There are 123.552 possible two pair hands, making it one of the most winning hands. This is 4.7539% chances of being dealt one.
Pair
One pair is a poker hand rank that consists of two cards of the same rank and any three other cards. If there are two or more players with one pair, a player with the highest card value pair wins the pot. If a few players have the same pair, other three cards, or the ‘kickers’, are used to determine the winner. The player with the highest non-pair card wins all the money in the pot. In a situation when several players have the pair and three cards of the same value, the pot is split among them.
There are 1.098.240 possible one pair hands. That makes the chances of being dealt one very high at 42.2569%.
High card
No pair is the lowest possible hand that contains any cards. If a few players play no pair at showdown, the highest top card determines the winner. If all top cards are equal in value, the next highest ranking card from each hand is compared, and so on until a difference is found. If players have absolutely the same no pairs, the pot is split among them. It is not the end of the world if you get a no pair, as here is still a chance to win money form the pot if all the other players fold or have the same ranking hand at showdown.
There are 2.598.960 possible five card combinations. The chances of being dealt a no pair 50.1177%.
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