Playing Omaha hi/lo at FanatikPoker.com
In Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or better (Omaha Hi/Lo)
the pot is split 50-50 between the best High Hand and
the best qualifying Low Hand. Omaha Hi/Lo requires a lot
of skill and usually takes a little practice to understand
the intricacies of the game.
Omaha Hi/Lo is structurally played the same
as Omaha High except that the highest hand wins 50% of
the pot and the lowest qualifying hand wins 50% of the
pot.
A Low hand must be high card "8 or better"
to qualify. To be eligible to win the Low, the highest
card must be a 5, 6, 7, or 8. The winning Low Hand (8
or better) is determined firstly by the player with the
lowest High card. Upon a tie with the High card, the hand
goes to the player with the next lowest High card. Any
hand that is high card 9 or higher can NOT qualify as
a Low Hand.
If there is no qualifying Low Hand then
the high hand wins 100% of the pot.
- Each player receives four face-down cards (pocket
cards) to start.
- At the showdown each player must use exactly two
of their four pocket cards and combine them with exactly
three boardcards.
- At the showdown each player can use any two of their
pocket cards for their high hand and any two of their
pocket cards for their low.
- The best low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5. This will also
count as a straight for high. Aces can be used for
both high and low.
- Straights and flushes are not considered when evaluating
a low hand.
- A player can "scoop" the entire pot with both the
high and low by showing the highest and lowest hands.
General rules & sequence of action
for Omaha hi/lo
The dealer deals each player their own four
cards face-down (pocket cards)
First betting round
Dealer turns over three community boardcards (the
flop) face-up
Second betting round
Dealer turns over 1 more community boardcard (the
turn)
Third betting round
Dealer turns over 1 final community boardcard (the
river)
Final betting round
Showdown
At the showdown players MUST use exactly
two of their pocket cards and three boardcards.
Players can use any two of their pocket
cards with any three board cards for their high hand,
and players can also use any two of their pocket cards
with any three board cards for their low hand. It is possible
to win both high hand and low hand!
Omaha poker betting structure rules
As you can see from the description of action
above, there are four betting rounds in a complete game
of Omaha.
Each bet and raise during the first two
rounds is set at the lower limit of the stakes structure.
For example in a $5/$10 texas holdem game, all bets and
raises are $5 for the first two rounds (after pocket cards
are dealt and after the flop).
Betting and raising during the last two
rounds is set at the higher limit of the stakes structure.
Same texas holdem example; all bets and raises are $10
for the last two rounds (after the turn and after the
river), following accepted poker rules.
The maximum allowable number of bets per
FanatikPoker.com player during any betting round in texas
holdem poker is four. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise,
(3) re-raise, and (4) cap. The term cap is used to describe
the 3rd raise in a round since betting is then capped
and can't be raised further. Once capped, players will
have only the option of calling or folding. FanatikPoker.com
follows common poker rules in this regard. Note
that there is no cap to the number of raises in No Limit
and Pot Limit games.
Check-raising is allowed in all FanatikPoker.com
poker games, with these rules including texas holdem.
Button & Blinds 
Omaha games use a flat disk, as seen above,
called the dealer-button (or simply "the button")
to indicate the theoretical dealer of each hand.
After each hand has been completed, the
button moves clockwise to the next active player and this
player will be considered to be the button for that game.
The player to the left of the button is first to receive
a card and is required to post a small blind.
The small blind is equal to half the lower limit bet rounded
up to the nearest dollar. The player to the left of the
small blind is required to post the big blind.
The big blind is equal to the lower limit bet.
Both the small and the big blinds are considered
live bets and therefore have the option of checking,
calling, raising or folding when the betting action comes
back around to their position. After the flop and after
each subsequent betting round, the first active player
left of the button is first to act.
When a player first sits down at an active
table, they will be required to post the equivalent of
the big blind. All players have the option of sitting
out and waiting to become the actual big blind before
starting to play. This rule is in place to ensure fairness
to all players. The rule stops potential abuses to the
system by preventing players who may otherwise constantly
enter games in late position and then leave before they
are required to post a big blind
