Omaha Poker - Online Poker Game - Basic Omaha Rules

Omaha 8/b has a lot of names such as Omaha H/L, Omaha High/Low, Omaha Split and others, but all of them have the same meaning – it is a game with split pot. So it’s when the pot can be split between the best low hand and the high one (for that Holdem hierarchy uses usually). Speaking about low hand and it hierarchy will be commented in detail not so detailed.

There are such similar traits in that game as in Holdem: each gambler is dealt cards, then comes betting round, deals a 3-card flop, a turn card and for the last the river, with rounds of betting at the end and in between. The main difference between Omaha H/L and Holdem is that in 1st one each gambler dealt 4 cards and in the last one just 2 cards.

If you want to make the best 5-card hand you should unite 2 and only 2 (no less and no more0 of your cards with 3 of the boards cards. This is the next different trait of Texas Holdem where you must play just 2 of your hole cards. For instance, if a player had 4 spades and still more pops up on the board, he don’t get a flush as he can use only 2 of his pocket cards for making the hand.

At first the "low" hand mechanics seem complicated but in fact are very easy. Your low hand basically is the lowest 5 unpaired cards that you have in your hand (Aces are counted as low, and flushes and straights are not versus a low hand, for example A2345 of hearts is an absolutely great low hand). A gambler can make use of two different pocket cards to make a low hand to the cards used to make a high hand. To meet the criteria for a low hand, in the low the highest one must always be no higher than an eight - therefore Omaha 8/b, “Omaha Eight or Better“.

Thus if you hold A4678 as your lowest five unpaired cards, this is a low hand, but having A2349 means that you don't have low, since the nine is too high. This means that if by the river there aren’t three cards lower than a nine on the board, it’s impossible for anybody to make a low hand (because you have to use three cards from the board to make your hand). The lower the cards you have in the low hand, the better your low hand is. In the low purposely low hands start with the highest card and work backwards, the gambler that shows the first lower card than his opponent player(s) has the low.