Straight Flush – A straight flush is a straight (5 cards in order, such as 7-8-9-10-J) that are all of the same suit. As in a regular straight, you can have an ace either high (A-K-Q-J-T) or low (A-2-3-4-5). You can not use the Ace in a wraparound and example would be K-A-2-3-4, which is not a straight.

Four of a Kind – Four cards of the same rank like four Aces or Four Kings. If there are two or more hands that qualify, the hand with the higher-rank four of a kind wins.

Full House – A full house is a three of a kind and a pair, such as K-K-K-2-2. When there are two full houses the tie is broken by the three of a kind. An example would be J-J-J-5-5 would beat 9-9-9-A-A. If for some reason the three of a kind cannot determine the victor then you go to the pair to decide (this would only happen in a game with wild cards).

Flush – A flush is a hand where all of the cards are the same suit, such as A-J-9-7-5, all of Diamonds. When flushes ties, follow the rules for High Card.

Straight – Five cards in rank order, but not of the same suit (it can be any combination of the four suits). An example of a straight is 2-3-4-5-6. The Ace can either be high or low card, either A-2-3-4-5 or 10-J-Q-K-A. Wraparounds are not allowed (an example being K-A-2-3-4). When two straights tie, the highest straight wins, K-Q-J-10-9 would beat 5-4-3-2-A. If two straights have the same value, AKQJT vs AKQJT, the pot is split.

Three of a Kind - Three cards of any rank with the remaining cards not being a pair (that would be a full house if it were). Once again the highest ranking three of a kind would win. K-K-K-2-4 would beat Q-Q-Q-2-3. If both are the same rank (only in a wild card game), then the High Card rule come into effect with the remaining two.

Two Pair – Two distinct pairs of card and a 5th card. The highest ranking pair wins ties. If both hands have the same high pair, the second pair wins. If both hands have the same pairs, the high card wins.

Pair - One pair with three distinct cards. Highest ranking pair wins. High card breaks ties.

High Card – When a hand has none of the above qualifications of any of the ones listed above, nobody has even a pair or better, then it comes down to who is holding the highest ranking card. If there is a tie for the high card then the next high card determines the pot, if that card is a tie than it continues down till the third, fourth, and fifth card. The High card is also used to break ties when the high hands both have the same type of hand (pair, flush, straight, etc).

Basic Game Structure
- Blinds are posted
- 4 pocket cards are dealt to each player
- Pre flop betting occurs
- The flop is dealt (3 community cards)
- A 2nd round of betting occurs
- The turn card is dealt (the 4th community card)
- A 3rd round of betting occurs
- The river card is dealt (the 5th community card)
- A final round of betting occurs
- Showdown occurs (hands must use 2 pocket cards and 3 community cards)

Detailed Rules

Omaha 8/b is played with a standard 52-card deck and as many as 10 participants. A dealer “button” is used to indicate the position of the player who would be dealing the cards if the players were actually dealing the cards themselves. The player holding the button acts last and thus has a positional advantage that remains throughout the hand. After each hand, the button is moved one position clockwise, so that all players in the game have, after a full round, had exactly the same number of opportunities to hold positional advantage.

The two players on the button’s immediate left must post “blind” bets…that is, amounts they place in the pot before they see their cards. Typically, the player in the very first position posts a blind bet one-half the size of the player in the second position, although in some games, the first bet (called the “small blind”) may be as little as one-third or as much as two-thirds the size of the second bet (called the “big blind”).

All participants are now dealt four cards face down. These are pocket cards and belong exclusively to their “owners,” and are not seen by the other players at any time until the showdown at the end of the hand. A round of betting takes place at this point, which is called “before the flop” or “pre-flop.”

Once the pre-flop betting is complete, the three cards are dealt face-up. These are “community” cards that belong to everyone, and these three cards are called “the flop.”

A second round of betting follows. In the second betting round, the player closest to the left of the button, who is still in the hand, acts first. After everyone places his or her bets, a 4th community card is dealt which is called the “Turn” card, or “Fourth Street.”

After the third round of betting concludes, the dealer reveals the fifth and final community card, called “the River,” or “Fifth Street,” which leads to a final round of betting.

At the end of the final round of betting, any players still remaining in the hand turn their cards over. If at any point during the hand, one player makes a bet that all others decline to call, the hand is over immediately, and the player who made the final wager takes the pot without the need to show his or her cards. The player who can assemble the best five-card high hand wins half of the pot. The player who can assemble the best qualifying five-card low hand wins the other half of the pot. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand winner is awarded the entire pot. It is feasible for a single player to win both the high hand and the low hand pots.

Qualifying Low Hands

Qualifying low hands consist of five cards with different numerical values from Ace to Eight (thus 8 or “better”). If more than one player meets this criteria, the player with the lowest high card will win the low hand pot. (e.g. Ah, 2d, 5c, 6c 7d BEATS Ac, 2c, 6d, 7h, 8d. Straights and flushes do not count against a low hand however, since all cards need to have different numerical values, a pair is not eligible.

Something to keep in mind: Since players must use 3 community cards to make a low hand, if there are not 3 community cards with values of 8 or less, it is not possible for a qualifying low hand to occur during that game.

Split Pots

The potential for split pots in Omaha 8/b is greater than in other limit games. First, if a game has both a high hand and a qualifying low hand at the showdown, the pot will be split between the winning hands. It could be split further if multiple players have the same hand evaluation for either the high hand and/or the low hand. And then, just imagine what could happen if there are multiple all-ins during the hand!

Example Hand Evaluation for Omaha

To make their best hand in Omaha 8/b, players are allowed to use exactly 2 pocket cards and exactly 3 community cards for their best high hand and potentially 2 completely different pocket cards and a different combination of 3 community cards for their best low hand.

Qualifying low hands consist of five cards with different numerical values from Ace to 8. If multiple players meet this standard, the player with the lowest high card will win the low hand and split the pot with the high hand (e.g. Ah, 2d, 5c, 6c 7d BEATS Ac, 2c, 6d, 7h, 8d). The best low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5 – straights and flushes do not count against a low hand, but a pair will disqualify it. An easy way to figure out a low hand score is to look at the two highest cards in that hand. For example, an A, 2, 3, 4, 6 scores a 64, and would therefore beat an A, 2, 3, 5, 6 because it’s score would be 65.

One final point – players do not need to decide if they are playing for a high hand or a low hand, as all hands in the showdown will be evaluated for both and ranked as appropriate.

But I want it all!
The value of potentially sharing the pot between a high hand and a low hand is that there is more action in the game. Some will play for the high, and some for the low. But sometimes you can play for both! As mentioned above, straights and flushes do not count against a low hand. Your high hand consists of five cards from the total of seven available at the showdown. The same is true for the low hand. And guess what? They don’t have to be the same cards! If your cards are Ad, 2d, 3c, 4d, 5d, 6c, 7d – you have a low hand of A-5, and a high hand of Ace high flush.

The only sharing might be the winnings!
Because there are no community cards to share, 7-card stud 8/b requires you to keep track of your own unique hand as well as the hands of the other players, too. And you must also be mindful of whether others are playing for the high hand, low hand, or both!

Well, you wanted more action…

In limit Omaha, there are only two groups of hands: playable hands and unplayable hands.

Playable hands are ones where all four cards work well with each other, and these hands are playable from every position. Ideally, you want a hand that could flop well and have draws that could improve it even further. This implies that a hand like AAxy, a hand most Hold’em players think is phenomenal, is in fact trash. I know you are shocked, but this hand often belongs in the muck. Two aces will seldomly hold up, so you are in fact drawing to hit a third ace with no re-draws. If one or two of the other cards were connected or suited with the aces, you can take a look at the flop with them. For example with AAT8, you primarily are hoping to hit another ace on the flop, but you also have back-up with a flush draw in spades. The two AT- and T8-combinations can make a few straights as well.

What To Look For in Starting Hands:
In limit Omaha you are almost always drawing! The only exceptions to this are when you hit a monster flop (i.e. four of a kind, straight flush and “Big Full”). If we take our example hand again, AAT8, and say the flop is AT5, you clearly have the nuts for now. You have a set of Aces, not a full house (if this confuses you, you are not ready for Ohama yet). However, you are still drawing to hit the full house.With a flop like this one, it is impossible that there will be no straight possibility at the river unless the board pairs (try simulating it yourself!).

There are certain types of boards that actually make the big trips (AAA, KKK and QQQ) the nuts at the river, for example AK982, KJ762 and Q9732. Three Jacks can never be the nuts at the river; either there will be a higher card on the board or a straight possibility will exist. Remember, Omaha is not like Hold’em. In limit Omaha high you need the nuts or close to it to win the pot.

Therefore, AAxy, KKxy and QQxy, where x and y are close in rank with the pair are playable. Being suited helps, but it has the most value if it is suited with an ace.

The other hands that are playable are the hands where all four cards interact with each other, for example AKQT, JT87, 8764 and so on, all the way down to 6543. Also small pairs with perfect connectors are playable, i.e. 8776, 6654. The worst hand I would play is something like QTT8. If you play trash hands such as JT93 and so on, you are costing yourself a lot of money. It would be a far better use of money if you just sent me a check instead of throwing your money away at the table! In the hand JT93, the 3 is called “a dangler”, meaning a card that has no interconnection with the other cards in your hand. If someone puts a gun to your head and demands that you play some of your danglers, at least play them when they are suited with an ace, for example A765, where you have some nut-out of the dangler.

These are the playable starting hands. The rest are trash. Raise or re-raise with half of your playable starting hands (the really good ones), and limp or call a bet with the rest.

If you don’t have the patience to wait for these starting hands, you will have great difficulty surviving at limit Omaha high. Actually, contrary to “common wisdom”, you might want to consider taking up pot-limit Omaha if you want to play worse starting hands. Only do this if you are VERY good at dumping your hands on the flop, have a big bankroll and a mood that can handle large swings. This is because there are much more implied odds in pot-limit Omaha when you hit your hand perfectly.

Playing the Flop
Success in limit Omaha can be said with two words: “Never Chase!” Let your opponents chase, it is from their bad play you will win money, not by your own world-class play. This is not the WPT (World Poker Tour) where we see world-class players outsmarting each other at the final table; this is limit poker. Limit Omaha is best played in a very straightforward way. If you have it, bet it. If you don’t, dump it. If the flop is Q62, and you call a bet or two with our example hand AAT8, you are calling on a prayer. First, you hope for one of the remaining two aces, and secondly for the set of aces to hold up. That is a lot of hoping to do.

Flopping Two Pair
Two pair is one of the trickiest hands to play at limit Omaha high. Generally speaking, you should fold bottom two pair. If you flop top two pair, you should consider playing it. If you flop top and bottom, you are in a tricky situation. You have to proceed carefully. Some of these flops are GREAT, some are not.

Let’s run some examples with the hand T877 and the flops:
KT8: Bottom 2-pair, and no draws to nut hands. Easy fold.
T98: Top and bottom, but very dangerous flop. There is already a straight draw out there. Fold.
T85: Not much of a hand, and should probably fold, especially in pot-limit.
976: You flopped the nut straight with full house redraws (you have a set of 7’s as well). Bet it!

On the other hand, if your hand is J986 and the flops are:
KJ8: Fold. You have bottom two and there are many nut-straight draws
JT6: Difficult: Any 7 will give you nut-straight, and a Q will give you a low straight. Do not take any heavy action with this hand, but if it is heads-up, please feel free to go ahead and play it.
J85: You are preliminary drawing to a J for nut full house or an 8 for a small house, but you also have some straight possibilities. Go ahead and play it.

This is the main concept about the play on the flop at limit Omaha. You want to be drawing to the nuts, but you also want secondary draws with your hand, and these secondary draws only come if your hand is very coordinated with itself.For example, compare the two hands JT98 vs 9852 with the flops

765: What is the 9852´s hope? That hand can only hope to split the pot, unless it hits a backdoor full house (like 765-5-2). The hand JT98 will win the whole pot if any 8 or 9 comes.
983: JT98 will win if any Q,J,T or 7 comes.

Flopping a Set (three of a kind)
When you flop a hidden set, the same principles apply as when you flop two pair: If you flop bottom set, fold. If you flop top set, play it. And if you flop middle set, you have to play good poker.

In Hold’em, a flopped set is usually a ticket to heaven. In Omaha (any kind of Omaha), a flopped set is just another drawing hand, drawing to a full house. And you want to be drawing to big full houses, not small ones.

Being Suited
Being suited adds a bit of value to your hand, and being double-suited adds a lot. However, you should ONLY play the nut flush for its value alone. Never draw to a hand that will not be the nuts.

However non-nut flushes will have their value as your secondary draws, or redraws. For example: JT98 vs JT98 with the flop 765. Both players have the nuts, and both have great draws to even bigger straights, so there will be much action on the flop. But JT98 has no out to win the whole pot. Any heart will give the first hand the pot, and so will a backdoor diamond flush. Freaky hands, but they occur.

Any hand that you back-door, (i.e hit runner-runner) does not need do be that strong for you to bet strongly on the river. This means that if you happen to stumble into a diamond flush in the example above, you may bet it even against more than one caller. This holds true also for small houses and second-nut straights that you backdoor.

Bluffs
Preflop bluffs should not be in your repertoire; it is almost impossible to steal blinds in limit Omaha high. You should rarely bluff at any other stage, but there are a few spots that you might try to steal the pot.

For example, if you have the bare Ace of any suit and three of that suite flops, for example AAT8 with the flop K82. Such a flop will every now and then be picked up by a bet, but you need to have the key card (A) to do the betting.

Another example is if the board comes with a pair, say 992. If there are not that many players seeing the flop, a bet might steal the pot. Never call such a flop without a 9. But feel free to bet without one!

Winning the Whole Pot
As said in the general chapter about seven card stud hi-lo, your main goal is to win the whole pot. This can be done in a couple of ways. First, you can have the best high hand, and there is no low hand out there. Second, you can have a low hand that turns into a high hand as well.

A lot of the value in seven card stud hi-lo is when you have a concealed hand that appears to be low, but is actually a high hand. An example is 88A84J4. In this case, you start with a pair of eights with an ace showing and raise correctly. Then you bet and raise all the time, but you slow down a bit when you catch the jack. Any opponent would put you on a low (or draw to a low with one or two pair), giving you a good chance to extract the maximum out of the pot.

Another example is if it looks like you have made a very good low, but you actually have an ace-high flush. This is one of the best situations this game offers.

Your best chance to win both the high and the low share of the pot is when your hand consists of either:
- An ace (showing).
- Three small cards to a straight.
- Three cards to a flush, with at least two of them being small ones (and a small one showing).

The Ace, an Extremely Powerful Card
In this game, the ace is extremely robust. The ace is larger than life and greater than mountains. This is because of the dual nature of the ace; it is the boss card for both high and low hands. So therefore you should always raise when you have an ace showing, at least when you are first in after the mandatory bet from the smallest up-card. If you start with AAA, raise! If you start with 23A, raise! If you start with 9JA (an awful hand), raise! You should profit from this ante-stealing alone, but the ace also enables you to frequently out play your opponents on later streets. If you catch badly (and the opponent does not catch perfectly), you can fire a second barrel at him anyway, representing a pair of aces with high kickers or a quality low draw.

However, this is all the bluffing you should do, betting heavily with an ace showing. Otherwise, you should maintain a tight, mathematical approach to the game

When an Ace Raises
When an ace raises, you should not play many hands. Dump all of your high pairs because you do not know if the ace is going high or low. Even when playing against a maniac, keep in mind that he is starting with the best card in the deck.

When You Catch Badly:
Much of your advantage will come from correctly folding early in the hand, usually on fourth or fifth street. Basically, you need to fold in spots where your opponents will not. You generally want to know by fifth street if you plan on calling all the way to the river. If you have 345 (all of spades), you have a great starting hand. However, if the next card is J of hearts, and your opponent shows XX54 of diamonds, you are fighting up-hill. Dump it, or play it very carefully. If your next card is something like the queen of hearts, you have no business being in the pot anymore.

Ram and Jam
Suppose you have a hand like 7632 in a three-way pot. The high hand bets, and the player before you raises XX54. You should frequently fold this hand. Note that you have a very slim chance for winning the high and you may very well be drawing a lot for low. The best strategy is to throw away the hand. If you call, the high hand will surely put in another bet, and the XX54 will cap it.

Try to identify these situations yourself where you are the high hand or the XX54 hand and start betting and raising. A lot of your profit in this game is to ram and jam when it is correct to do so (and your opponents miss identifying the situations)

Pay Attention:
Paying attention is key at seven card stud hi-lo. Often, new players just call along, hoping to hit a good hand. They don’t realize that most of their flush cards are out on the board and will even keep drawing to a flush or straight when someone has trips showing (hence, very likely to have a full house). Never play more than one game at a time when you play 7-stud hi-lo. You will need to memorize all the cards that have been showed and make adjustments for every exposed card.

A major part of any winning player’s strategy has to be card memory and card analysis. Studying what is on the table and its significance is critical. Ask yourself:
Does it help or hurt your chances?
Does it help or hurt the receiving player’s chances?
Does it help or hurt the other players’ chances?

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