Omaha High-Low

It is a very interesting and elaborate version of Omaha game. The rules are almost the same as in Omaha High. The difference is in separating the pot. The player with the best combination gets one part of the pot, and another player, who has weak hands, gets the other one. Ace may be the strongest and the weakest card.

Card distribution

The pack consists of 52 cards (from 2 to Ace, without Jokers). From 2 to 10 people take part in the game.

The dealer gives out cards in casino. Omaha High uses a small thing called the "dealer button" to indicate the dealer of each hand. Once a hand is completed, the dealer button moves clockwise to the next player. Every player gets four blind cards (hole cards).

The player to the left of the dealer button is required to place the "small blind" (usually equal to half minimal bet) and the next player to the left is required to place the "big blind" (equal to the minimal bet). Sometimes before game starting all players have to put ante.

The First Betting Round: Pre-Flop

The round starting with the player to the left of that who made "big blind" before. The player has the option to call, raise or fold.


Next players can do the same actions. After rise players can make the bet higher (re-raise). The quantity of re-raise depends on table rules (NL, FL, PL). All players must put the same quantity of chips. Those chips are put into the pot and move to the center of the table. Chips are considered to be added to the pot immediately after the bet.


If there was not rise, a player, who made big blind, can make check instead of call, in other words he can skip his own turn without raising the bet and folding cards.

The Second Betting Round: Flop

Dealer without opening put the top card to the center of the table (to other cards). He makes that for showing that the top card is not marked. Then dealer takes three top cards and put them to the center of the table and open. Those three cards call flop. Usually they are common and all players can use them for making combination.


Then the second betting round begins. The first player to the left of the dealer button and who made small blind is the first to act. If he folds cards before, the next player acts (clockwise). The player who starts the second betting round can make:

Betting Round is continuing till all players put the same quantity of chips and say “check”.

The Third Betting Round: Turn

Dealer put the top card to the center of the table (to other cards). Then dealer opens one more common card and put it to the left of flop. This card is called turn. Then the third betting round begins for the same scheme as flop.

The Forth Betting Round: River
Dealer puts the top card to the center of the table (to other cards). Then dealer open one more common card and put it to the left of turn. This card is called river.


Then the fourth betting round begins for the same scheme as flop. After finishing betting rounds players open their cards by turns. The first player who shows his card is that who raised the bet last time. If there was not raise or bet, the first player who opens cards is that who said “check” last time. The player with the weakest combination (or the strongest in low-pot case) may not show his cards. He has the right to fold his cards without opening them (muck). Muck is a special place on the table for fold cards.


The pot can be divided into two equal parts: High Pot and Low Pot. The player who has the strongest hand wins. He usually gets High Pot and the player with low hand gets Low Pot. If nobody can get low hand, the player with high hand gets two pots.

Rules for the high hand definition are the same as in Omaha High. Rules for the low hand definition you can see below:

Thus, the low hand is Eight-Low – 8 and 4 cards with different suit which are more low than 8 (than Seven-Low and 4 cards with different suit which are more low than it etc.) The strongest low hand is Wheel – 5-4-3-2-À.

The low hand can be the high hand at the same time because of not taking into account straight and flush. The main purpose of the game is to get the low and the high hand at the same time. If players have the same hands they can divide the pot. If the pot can’t be divided into two parts, then the player who opened cards the first takes the rest (for example, 0,01 US dollars).

The distribution is finished. Dealer moves button chips clockwise to the next player. The pack is mixed and the dealer begins to give out again.

Notes:

During the game one specific situation may arise: the player does not have enough chips to play back after the previous bat. In such case the player doesn’t have to fold cards, he may do all-in. So the next prize is allocated in such way:


with three or more players with unequal stacks: Dealer takes the chips from every player who made all-in and those chips must be equal with chips of the player with the smallest stack among these players and put all these chips to the main pot. Then dealer takes the smallest balance from these bets and takes equivalent sum from another player’s bets and all those chips he add to the side pot. There may be some side pots. Extra chips from the bet of the first player who has the highest stack are come back to him.

So the next prize is allocated in such way:

If the player with the smallest stack has the best hand, he takes only the main pot, and all side pots are played without his participation.

If the player with the second smallest stack has the best hand, he takes only the main pot and the first side pot (¹2), and all the rest pots are played without his participation.

Accordingly if the player with the highest stacks has the best hand, this player takes all chips from all pots.

If all players who is taking part in cards distribution go all-in (betting rounds can’t be anymore), then cards will open immediately, but not after river betting rounds.

If nobody supports the bet (even if it’s big blind), the player who made the bet last time gets the pot. He may not open his cards.