Omaha Hi-Lo is also named as Omaha 8/b and Omaha Eight or Better. Omaha Hi-Lo shares the same rules as that of Omaha Poker however, the dissimilarity lies in the showdown.

In Omaha Hi-Lo, two players win the pot - the player with the strongest and the other with the weakest hand poker. For those who are familiar with poker games, Omaha Hi-Lo is easy to understand especially when it comes to laying the strongest five hand poker however, rookies may seem encounter confusions as how to rank the cards according to low hands.

Omaha games including the Hi-Lo aren't left behind in terms of popularity. Such game brings a whole new experience. Many Poker players are getting attracted to this game format.

Omaha Low Hands

Low hand is obtained when all five cards rank lower than 8. In the case of an Ace, this can either be used as high or low. Flushes don't count.

Playing for low hands can be quite complicated because there seems to be some confusion regarding ranking. In order for a low hand to qualify, the ranking must start from the highest going down.

In some cases, a lucky hand of Omaha Hi-Lo can win both high and low hands. The player can fix all five cards that can win over the opponent for both highest and lowest strongest five hand cards. Player therefore wins the whole pot.

Blinds and Dealer

Omaha Hi-Lo shares the same principle of blinds in Omaha Poker. The small bet is paid by the player seated left from the dealer while the big bet is paid by the player straight left of the small blind. The amount of the small bet is 50% the amount of the minimum bet while the big bet is equal to the amount of the minimum bet.

To ensure that every player pays the blinds, the dealer is positioned one seat to the left. A dealer's button is used in the case of a full time dealer to determine his position on the table.

Pre-flop

When all players have paid the blinds, the dealer evenly distributes four facing down cards to every player one at a time starting from his left going clockwise around the table.

Betting begins after the Pre-flop. The player seating the big blind's left commences the betting, who has to decide whether to call the minimum bet, to stay in or make a raise. After the decision has been made, betting proceeds with a clockwise movement around the table.

flop

In this stage, the so-called flop or three community cards are laid in the center of the table. The flop is shared by all players to complete their five best cards. These five cards are a combination of two hole and three community cards which can either be the highest or lowest five hand poker.

A round of betting takes place after the flop. The first player at the dealer's left begins the betting and he can bet, check or fold, then the game continues with a clockwise movement around the table.

Turn

This is the stage where the dealer lays one facing up card termed as "turn" which is one of the community cards to be used by the players. Same as the Flop, betting comes next. This time, the amount of bets made by the players should amount higher than the upper bet limit.

River

The "river" is the last community card which the dealer deals on the table. This is followed by the final betting round.

Showdown

In this stage, players would reveal their cards. The pot is divided into two winners, one with the highest poker cards and the other with the lowest poker cards.

However, where no one qualifies for the lowest hand poker cards, the highest hand wins the whole pot.

One player can also win the entire pot if he obtains both highest and lowest hand poker cards.