Omaha Hi-Lo – Introduction

Omaha Hi-Lo (or High/Low) is a “community card” poker game which is a fairly modern variation of poker. Omaha is believed to have derived from Texas Hold'em Poker and is now played in most poker tournaments alongside Texas Hold'em Poker.

In recent years, the Hi-Lo version of Omaha has become increasingly popular, especially with its potential split pot winnings that are available.

The exact origins of poker are uncertain, but the game does have a long history. Some believe that card games were originally developed in China over 1,000 years ago, and then spread throughout the world.

Some claim that poker developed from a 16^th century Persian card game known as “As Nas”, but others believe that the game derived from more modern European card games such as the French card game “poque”, the Spanish card game “primero”, the German card game “pochspiel” and the English game of “Brag”.

The modern game of poker, however, was developed in America. French settlers in New Orleans during the nineteenth century appear to have introduced poker to the US, and the game has continued to develop and become increasingly popular since that time.

Numerous variations of poker began to appear during the early twentieth-century. Texas Hold'em Poker developed out of the original “community card” poker games that are first recorded around 1919. Omaha is believed to have developed from Texas Hold'em Poker around 25 years ago.

In Omaha Hi-Lo (as in Omaha), each player is initially dealt four cards face-down, and the dealer then deals five “community cards”, which can be used by all players to form their hands. However, Omaha Hi-Lo differs from straight Omaha in that two potential pay-outs form each hand. The stake pot is split into two, half for the highest value hand and half for the lowest value hand.

To win the low pot, you must have a run of cards from 8 downwards; the best hand is an Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. To win the high pot, the strongest hand wins, much in the same way as other poker games. If there is no low pot winner, then the high pot winner wins the whole pot.

To learn how to play Omaha Hi Lo poker and to find out the rules of the game, visit our How to Play Omaha Hi-Lo page. You can also learn more about some of the terms used in Omaha Hi Lo in our bet365 Omaha Hi-Lo Glossary, and find some useful hints and tips on how to improve your game on our Omaha Hi-Lo Poker Strategy page.

You can play Omaha Hi-Lo with bet365 either as a 1-on-1 poker game, in a multi-player poker game or in a poker tournament. To find out more about these different ways of playing Omaha Hi Lo, visit our Types of Poker Game with bet365 section.

With bet365, you can also play regular Omaha. You can find out more about how to play this type of poker in our Omaha section.

To start playing Omaha Hi-Lo with bet365 now, go to our Main Site. You can set up an easy-to-use one-wallet bet365 account in just a matter of seconds and play your first online Omaha Hi Lo game for cash prizes with us.

If you want to learn about the other types of poker we offer, visit our Types of Poker at bet365 page.