Limit Omaha Rules

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Fixed-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Rules: The amount wagered for each round is pre-determined in Fixed-Limit Omaha Hi-lo. For example, $2/$4 Fixed-Limit features $2 bets (the small bet) on the pre-flop and on the flop, and $4 bets (the large bet) on the turn and river. Introduction to Pot Limit Omaha Hi. Pot-Limit Omaha is a unique game. It is one of the few poker games that is much more widely played in Europe than in North America. Pot-Limit Omaha also is a game that tends to have huge swings. Even a poor player can be lucky one night and win almost all of the chips at the table in a game of Pot-Limit Omaha.

To recap, essentially the basic rules of Omaha Poker are: Use 2 and only 2 of your 4 hole cards in making a hand. You can use 2 different hole cards to make your high and low hands.

Basic principles and how-to-play strategies for Omaha High Low Poker shown here are those generally agreed to and recommended by the experts for bet limit games. An understanding of these basics is needed for all levels of competitive play. Solid intermediate and expert level poker normally require study of the more advanced game tactics and considerable hours of online or actual card room playing experience.

  1. Pot Limit Omaha plays just like No Limit Hold'em except for two crucial differences: In PLO, you get four hole cards instead of two. In PLO, your maximum bet at any point is limited to the current size of the pot. You can't go 'all-in' in PLO unless your stack size is smaller than the size of the pot.
  2. Omaha Hi/Lo rules remain the same for Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit poker games, with a few exceptions: Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Betting in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is in pre-determined, structured amounts. Pre-flop and on the flop, all bets and raises are of the same amount as the big blind. On the turn and the river, the size of all bets and raises doubles.

Limit Omaha High Low Poker Rules - 2 to 10 Players

  • Highest hand splits the pot with the lowest qualifying low hand
  • Players MUST use TWO of their hole cards combined with three from the board to make their highest and lowest hands. Any two of the players four cards can be used for high, and any two can be used for low
  • To qualify for the low half of the pot, the low hand must be 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or lower
  • Ace plays both high and low
  • Three raise limit per round
  • Cards speak

The image below depicts the card distribution and betting procedure for Omaha/8.

How to play $2/$4 limit omaha eight or better, hi-lo split with a double blind:

Pot Limit Omaha Rules

At casino Omaha tables, a round plastic marker called the dealer 'button' is placed in front of the player who would be dealing if a house dealer were not provided. The button is moved one seat clockwise after each game and the card distribution and betting starts to the left of that position.

Each player is dealt four cards face down. Then, a total of five community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table in three betting segments (3-1-1). After all the cards are dealt the players make the best hand that they can by combining any two of their two hole cards with any three of the five community cards.

Using the illustration above, a player holding a jack and a four would end up with a full house, jacks over fours. If he is also holding a six and an ace, he would have a qualifying low hand of 8, 6, 5, 4, A.

The betting procedure goes like this:

(1.) Before each player is dealt four down cards, the player at the immediate left of the button, called the 'Small Blind' is forced to bet $1 (half the minimum bet). Then the player to his left and two seats to the left of the button, called the 'Big Blind', is forced to bet $2. Each player is then dealt a four card hand. Then the player at the left of the big blind is first to act and he must either call the big blind's $2 bet, raise, or fold his hand. Continuing in turn clockwise, all the players around the table either call, raise or fold.

When the betting gets back around to the small blind, he or she can fold and lose only the half minimum bet of $1 placed earlier, call the amount necessary to get up to the betting level or raise $2 if there is a raise left.

The big blind is then the last to act before any cards are turned up in the middle. The blinds are played in the first round only.

(2.) The dealer turns three cards up in the center of the table. This is the 'Flop'. As always, after the flop, the player at the left of the button is first to act. There are no more forced bets and the players can all check around if they want to. Bets right after the flop are at the $2 minimum bet level.

(3.) Now comes the 'Turn' card with more betting that now goes to the $4 level.

(4.) Finally the last, or 'River' card is turned up. The last $4 betting round takes place. The players still in the contest reveal their hole cards and the highest hand wins the pot or splits with the lowest qualifying low hand. Of course, the ideal result is to win the high end with no split or have the cards to win both ways.

Pot limit omaha rules

General Strategy

In Omaha High-Low the high hand winner must split the pot with the player with the best qualifying low hand. There is always a high hand winner but not always a low. For your hand to qualify for low, it must have five denominations no higher than an eight. Any two of your four down cards are played for high and any two are played for low.

Players must play exactly two out of their hands for each direction. Aces are played both high and low. Straights and flushes do not disqualify a hand for low, so a player ending with 5 4 3 2 A would have an unbeatable low hand and a 5 high straight to play for high. A player with this hand would have a good chance of winning both ways. He or she could also have another high hand better than the straight.

The most important thing to keep in mind in split pot games is the big profit difference between winning half the pot and 'scooping' it all. It is a lot more than just twice as much. Scooping the pot usually builds a healthy addition to your stack of chips. Getting half usually puts you barely ahead of where you were before you started playing the hand.

Expert Omaha Hi Lo players only play starting hands, like those recommended here, that have a good chance of winning both ways. Omaha is a game of 'nuts'. With so many players with so many cards, finding so many reasons to play, a final hand with a fairly good high and a fairly good low can easily get clobbered by better hands both ways.

So after the flop or maybe the turn, if it looks like you don't have an almost certain winner for one end and a decent shot at the other, or the best high hand with no qualifying low probable, you should usually fold up and wait for the next hand.

Definitions

Wheel
(5 4 3 2 A). Can be played as the lowest possible hand, or a straight for high, or both.
Suited Player Hand(s)
Two of the players four cards of the same suit.
Double Suited Player Hand(s)
Two of the players cards of one suit and two of another suit.
Set
Three of a kind with two of the three in your hand (One in your hand and two on the board is 'trips').
Nut Hand
An unbeatable high or low hand. Sometimes called a 'lock'.
Flop, Turn. River
The community cards in the order of distribution. See top illustration.
Scoop
Win both high and low ends of the pot or win it all with a high hand when there is no low.
Fast Play
Bet, raise and re-raise to get as many other players out as possible.
Slow Play
Just check or call along to keep other players in the game and increase the pot odds.
Check-fold
Check when you can and fold if you have to call a bet made in front of you.

Denominations for this Game

High Cards - A, K, Q, J, 10
Middle Cards - 9, 8, 7
Low Cards - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A . . (even though eights and sevens may be used as low hand qualifiers)

Throw-Away Starting Hands

These should be automatically folded without any further consideration:

Quads - (including) A A A A
Trip Threes thru Trip Kings - 333X - KKKX
Lowest Card is 4 thru 9 Paired or Unpaired - i.e. 4567, 67QQ, 47JK, 88KK, 9TJQ etc.

Playable Starting Hands

The best possible starting hand is AA23(DS). The other starting hands below are randomly listed rather than in power order.

All

Includes non-suited, suited, paired, and unpaired hands unless otherwise noted.

Trip Aces and a 2 or 3 - AAA2, AAA3
Pair of Aces and Two Low Cards - i.e. AA23, AA44, AA35, AA26, AA66 etc.
A,2 and Anything - A2XX
A,3 and Two Low Cards - i.e. A346, A355, A356, A335 etc.

Suited

Any two cards suited unless otherwise noted. Double suited better but not necessary.

Trip Aces and a 4 or 5 Suited - AcAA4c, AdAA5d
Trip Deuces and Ace Suited - 2h22Ah
Pair of Aces and Two High Cards Suited - i.e. AhAXhX, AAXsXs etc.
2,3 and Two Low Cards Suited - i.e. 233c6c, 23c46c etc.
Ace Suited to Anything - AcXXXc

Double Suited

Two High Pair Double Suited - i.e. KhKdQhQd, TcTsJcJs etc.
Four Unpaired Low Cards - i.e. 2c4s5c6s, 3d4h5h6d etc.

Strategy Tips

  • Remember that you only play to scoop the pot, so after the flop, if your high hand is not a certain winner and will probably have to split with the low, or if you are playing for low and don't have a decent shot at the high hand, usually check/fold and get out early.
  • Slow play most Omaha hands. It is very difficult to run players off in this game and early raises are risky unless you know you can't lose.
  • Usually avoid playing middle suited connectors. Hands like 8h 9h that are often very playable in Holdem and Omaha high, are bad news in high-low split. To make the high end of a straight, you have to catch the cards that will also qualify low hands. To play these you also need a suited ace or an A2.
  • Don't overbet A2, A3 and 2 3 nut lows. These are often shared with another player and you can end up getting 'quartered'. In other words, if there are two playing the same nut low and one going high, you are in a situation where every bet you make contributes 1/3 to the pot that will only pay you 1/4 back. You do better if you can check around. Fast play in this situation only makes you money if there are three or more other players with either high or losing low hands.
  • Watch out for uniform flops, like 8 7 6, they can easily turn into straights that can overtake your high pair trips, or other good hand.
  • Beware of Suited Flops that can make a completed flush. In this case, you should usually hold the nut in that suit, or have trips or two pair that can fill up.
  • Check the raisers chips. Players that are close to all-in often rush the betting just to get all their chips in a sink-or-swim last hand.
  • Study your opponents, especially when you are not playing hands and can pay careful attention. Do they find more hands to play than they fold? Do they bluff? Can they be bluffed? Do they have any 'tells' (give away mannerisms) that disclose information about their hands etc.
  • Get caught bluffing once in a while. It is a way to vary your play and not be too predictable. You win pots that you don't deserve when your bluff works. You lose a few chips when it doesn't work but it will get you calls from weaker hands down the line when you are really strong and need the action.
  • Pay very close attention to your cards. Omaha High Low hands can get confusing and it is sometimes easy to think you have a nut hand winner when you don't, or have the best possible hand and not realize it. Be careful to avoid these costly mistakes.

Odds

No Qualifying Low Hand Frequencies - Odds of no qualifying low hand in a game based on three different type starting hands.

Have fun and GOOD LUCK!

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” – Katherine Hepburn

Welcome to what I consider the best poker game, Omaha High/Low. If you ever visit a Southern California cardroom, and I happen to be playing, you’ll usually find me in an Omaha game. Why? Well, that gets me back to when I first discovered Omaha.

I started playing seriously in 1999 after moving to Seattle. I was playing low-limit hold’em, usually at a club in Renton called Diamond Lil’s. One rainy April night I ventured into Diamond Lil’s and sat down in a ‘lively’ hold’em game – three or four players, usually, were seeing the flop. I happen to notice that at the next table over eight were seeing the flop every hand. They were playing Omaha. I knew I had to learn it. Forty minutes later, I got called into that game. I knew almost nothing about Omaha but I followed the first poker advice I was ever given: keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut and you should pick the game up. I made a few dollars that night and I haven’t looked back since.

This is the first of twelve introductory lessons on Omaha.

General Rules of Poker

All poker games, be it Seven Card Stud, Texas Hold’em, or Omaha High/Low, follow the general rules of poker. If you’ve never played poker before, or if you have any doubts about the rules of poker, please read Lou Krieger’s first four lessons. Lou does an excellent job describing the general rules of poker. In these lessons we’ll assume that you know the general rules of poker.

Materials: You will find it useful to have a deck of cards for these lessons. Also, if you do not already keep a log of your poker results, you should purchase a small notebook (that can fit in a pocket) at an office supply or drug store.

Specifics of Omaha Poker

Similarities to Texas Hold’em. Omaha is dealt from a standard 52-card deck. Games are usually nine or ten-handed. A professional dealer sits at the back center of the table (a computer facsimile if you’re playing online), with the players sitting around the remainder of the table. Omaha is a flop game: it bears many similarities to Texas Hold’em:

  • A ‘Dealer’ button is used and moves clockwise around the table.
  • There are two blinds – a small blind just to the left of the Dealer button, and a big blind to the left of the small blind (or two seats to the left of the Dealer). The blinds act last on the pre-flop round of betting (the blinds are considered live). Blinds exist in order for the betting action to begin. Usually, the big blind is equal to the smaller of the betting limits (in a $4/$8 game, the big blind would typically be $4) while the small blind is half the big blind. In a $3/$6 game, the small blind is usually $1 and the big blind is $3.
  • There are four rounds of betting: one before the flop (the first three community cards), one after the flop, one after the turn (fourth community card), and the last round after the river (the final community card) is dealt.

Differences from Texas Hold’em

Each player’s starting hand is four cards, rather than two for Texas Hold’em. Each player must use exactly two cards from his hand (and three of the community cards, or board) to make his or her best five-card poker hand and his or her best five card low hand. A player does not have to use the same two-card combination to make his low and high hand.

Example: Your hand is 5♠5♥7♠Q♠. The board, or community cards, is A♥5♦Q♣4♦8♥. Your high hand is 5♠5♥5♦A♥Q♣ (the underline indicating cards from the board) and your low hand is 8754A (suits are not relevant for low).

Pot limit omaha

Another major difference is that many of the pots are split: one player will win the high (or poker) hand, while another will win the low hand. In Omaha, a low hand must have five different cards numbered eight or less (an Ace is considered a one for low). If a board does not have three different cards less than or equal to eight, there will be no low (example: Board of 8♠10♦10♠3♠3♦). If a player’s hand does not have two different cards less than or equal to eight, he or she cannot make a low hand. The best possible low hand, a wheel, is 5432A (although the best possible low for any given hand is dependant on what cards are on the board; in the example above, the best possible low hand is 5432A – using a 32 from a player’s hand and the 54A from the board).

Limit

Finally, most Omaha games are played with a kill. If a player scoops a pot (wins both the high and low), and the pot is of a certain size (this varies by cardroom), the next hand will be played at a higher limit and the killer (the player who scooped the pot) must post an additional blind. The killer may act in turn or have last action, depending on the cardroom. Kills can be full kills (doubling the limits), half kills or other variations.

Why Play Omaha

5 Card Pot Limit Omaha Rules

To make money, of course. An average player in a low limit game (such as $4/$8) should be able to make more money in Omaha than Texas Hold’em. Also, knowing how to successfully play more than one poker game allows you to seek out and play in the best game going.

Pot Limit Omaha Rules Of Betting

Other reasons to play Omaha include:

  • Omaha gives the illusion of action. Most pots are multi-way. You’ll find that in low-limit Omaha large pots are the norm.
  • Loose players love the game. ‘Wow,’ they think, ‘I get six hold’em hands!’ We’ll discuss hand selection in detail in lessons three through five, but for now just note that you should end up playing fewer hands in Omaha than in hold’em.
  • At the lower limits, Omaha is more a game of statistics and probability than of people. While skills such as reading opponents, knowing when to check raise, etc. are useful, you can win in Omaha just by knowing what cards to play and when to fold your hand.

Why Not To Play Omaha

Omaha was described as “…the [poker] game of the future…” several years ago. I think it’s a great game; however, you will find far more hold’em available than Omaha. I believe it’s essential to play more than one game well so that you can utilize game selection. Other reasons not to play Omaha include:

  • You want to play every hand. Omaha is probably the worst poker game to do this – you will be quickly separated from your money. If you play correctly, your most common action will be to fold.
  • You want to make moves. Omaha is known as a river game – that is, the river card decides the winner. While this is technically true (the river tends to determine the winner), hand selection is by far the most important aspect of a winning Omaha player. Making moves is at, or near, the bottom of the list.
  • You want to play in the middle limits ($10/$20 – $20/40). You’ll find plenty of low limit Omaha, and some high limit Omaha, but middle limit Omaha is, unfortunately, rare.
Limit

Conclusion

Pot Limit Omaha Hi-lo Rules

Omaha is a great game and can be a profitable one to play at the low limits. I hope you will enjoy the journey as we explore, in the next 11 lessons, some of the essential skills needed to be a winning Omaha player. In the next lesson, we will examine necessary traits of a winning Omaha player.