Omaha High-Low / Omaha8

Omaha hi-lo online poker is played exactly like online poker Omaha high only that the pot is split between the best high hand and the best low hand if there is a qualifying low hand. In the same manner as in Seven card stud Hi/Lo online poker.

Omaha holdem online poker is very similar to the Texas holdem poker but you need to remember an important rule, for your hand you must use exactly two out of your hole cards and exactly three board cards. The number of cards is different too, you make your 5 cards hand out of 9 cards instead of 7.

Omaha high-low online poker game structure

Omaha high-low online poker game structure has four major stages:

Hole cards

After blinds are being paid, the small blind (equal to half the low bet) by the poker player sitting to the left of the dealers button, the big blind (equal to the low bet) by the online poker player sited to the left of the small blind, four down facing hole cards are being dealt.

Than the first betting round takes place, starting with the player sitting to the left of the big blind.

The Flop

At the flop in Omaha8 online poker room, three community cards are being dealt on the table facing up; those cards are shared by all of the poker players.

Than begins the second betting round of the poker game. From now and on betting rounds starts with the poker player sitting to the left of the dealer's button.

The Turn

At Omaha8 online poker room's Turn, a fourth community card is being dealt facing up, than the third betting round is held.

The River

At Omaha8 online poker room's River, a fifth up facing community card is placed on the board, followed by the final betting round.

The showdown

At the showdown players have to make their best 5-card poker high hand or low hand out of the nine possible cards, using exactly two hole cards and three community cards. Omaha8 is a split game. That means that the pot is basically split between two hands, best low hand and best high hand.

Sometimes the pot is split between more than two online poker players, sometimes even four or six, in case of ties. Sometimes one player can win the whole pot, if there is no qualified low hand (8 or better) or if his hand is both the best high and best low hand. An online poker player can win half of the pot and have a tie on the other half, so he gets three quarters of the pot.

The ranks for the high hand are the classic hand ranks.

Low hands (8 or better) ranks

In Omaha8 online poker room, there is a limitation on the low hand cards to be 8 or better. A low hand is a hand made out of 5 cards from different ranks with a limitation on the ranks to be 8 or better, i.e. 8 or lower. Aces count low, i.e. one.

There could be no pairs in a low hand, nevertheless straights and flushes do not count for or against you.

The hand is called and ranked according to its highest card, for example 2 4 5 6 7 is a seven low hand. The best low hand is A 2 3 4 5, also called wheel or bicycle. Two hands with the same high card are compared by the second highest card and so on, for example 6 5 4 3 A wins 6 5 4 3 2.

For farther details on how to play Omaha8 online poker you may want to read the Omaha high game structure. The only difference will be at the showdown.