Learn How To Play Omaha Hi / Lo
The Omaha Hi/Lo Split poker game is also one of the very
popular poker variations. In Omaha-Hi/Lo players go through 4 sequential
rounds of betting. The betting rounds are pre-flop, on the flop, the
turn, and the river. In the Hi/lo games they are played so that the pot
is split between the best high hand and the best low hand.
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Hi/Lo games at Royal Vegas are played with an 8 as
the qualifier for low. To qualify as a low hand, the hand must
contain 5 unpaired cards of the rank of 8 or lower.
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For purposes of figuring the low hand, the ace is
considered to be the lowest card in the deck. Straights and flushes
do not count for low.
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For purposes of finding the winning low hand, the
wheel ( A, 2, 3, 4, 5) is the best possible low hand
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For purposes of finding the winning low hand, a
straight 8 ( 8, 7, 6, 5, 4) is the worst possible low hand.
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If no hand qualifies as a low hand then the high
hand wins the whole pot.
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The game is started by first shuffling the deck, the
first player posts the small blind. the second player posts the big
blind and each player is dealt their four personal hole cards
face down.
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The first round of betting is limited to one bet and
three raises.
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After the first round of betting is done, the dealer
deals the flop by placing three cards face up on the table.
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These first three community cards are dealt
face-up on the table.
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In Omaha Hi/Lo a player must use exactly 2 of his
hole cards combined with any 3 of the 5 community cards to make his
best low hand, best high hand or both.
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After the flop there is second round of betting. If
this is a limit game, this second round of betting is the last round
at the lower limit. After the second round all bets and raises will
be at the higher limit.
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After the second round of betting the dealer will
place a fourth community card face-up on the table. This 4th
community card is the turn card. In limit games, all bets and
raises on the turn are for the higher amount.
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On all rounds the action is limited to one bet and
three raises.
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When the betting on the turn is complete, the river
card, the fifth and final community card, is dealt face-up.
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All players that are remaining now have 9 cards from
which they make their best hand.
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Of the nine cards, players must use any 2, of their
4 personal hole cards plus any 3 of the 5 board cards to make their
hand.
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Once the river card has been dealt the final round
of betting begins. This last, fourth round of betting is at the
higher limit.
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When the fourth round action is complete, the pot
is split between the best high hand and the best
low hand.
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If there is no remaining low hand that
qualifies then the best high hand gets the entire pot.
Omaha Hi-Lo Poker Tips
Poker Bets
- Action - The betting consisting of bet, check, raise or
fold. When it is said that the action is to a certain player it
means it is his turn to act.
- Fold - When a player throw his hand away and sit out the
current hand
- Check - Pass the action to the next player without
putting money in the pot, or to bet.
- Bettor - The first person to put money in the pot on any
given round of betting is the bettor.
- Call - Put an amount that matches the bet into the pot
- Raise - Put an amount that is equal to twice the bet into
the pot.
- Re-raise - After a raise has been made subsequent players
also have three choices; call the raise, re-raise or fold.
Blinds
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Blinds are forced bets that begin the
action.
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In Omaha Hi / Lo there are two blinds.
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The Little Blind in placed by the first player to
the left of the dealer. The small blind is usually equal to 1/3 to
2/3 the amount of the Big Blind.
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The big blind is the same as a bet at the lower
limit.
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Therefore, in a $10/$20 came the little blind is
$5 and the big blind is $10.
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Both the small and big blinds are live bets.
Because they are live bets when the betting reaches the blinds the
players who posted the blinds may raise. This is the only time in
poker where a player may raise his own bet.
The Flop
After the first round of betting the dealer places
three cards face-up. These three cards are community cards and are
call the flop.
Community Cards
Community Cards are the cards that are dealt
face-up. Any number of the community cards can be used in in
any player's hand to make his best poker hand.
Dealer Button
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There is a button that rotates around the table in
a clockwise direction.
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Cards are dealt in a clockwise direction starting
with the first player to the left of the dealer button.
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After the hand is completed, the dealer moves the
Dealer Button to the player to his left. This is done, because
there is an advantage to having to act last. In this manner, each
player gets his fair share of early, late and middle positions.
The Pot
The pot is where all the bets and raises are put.
This is the pile of chips in the center of the table and is what all
the players are hoping to win.
The Turn
The turn card is the fourth community card. The turn
card is placed on the table after betting on the flop is done.
Betting on the turn is the third round of betting and at 2 times the
amount of the first two rounds.
The River
The River is the last round of betting. It is also
the 5th and last community card. When the river card is placed on
the board, all dealing is finished. As a result, when the betting on
the river is complete the hand is over and the pot is given to the
winner(s).
Game Conduct
For each hand in Omaha-Hi/Lo the cards are shuffled,
the dealer button is placed, the blinds are posted. Starting with
the first player to the left of the dealer, four personal private
player cards are also dealt face down to every active player at the
table
More Royal Vegas Poker Information
There are about $1,000,000 in tournaments every week. Get
your share of these fantastic winnings at the Royal Vegas Poker site.
It's easy to play with the "instant no-download play" or the
free "software download" options. Try the instant games if
you're away from home and still want to play poker online.
Downloading the free poker and casino software is also easy and free.
You'll be guided every step of the way. You'll even see a little counter
in the bottom right on your task bar that shows the percentage
completion for your download. This handy counter gives you instant feedback
on the status of your software download so that you can be assured that
it is proceeding smoothly. Once the software has downloaded, you simply
select "OK" when asked if you want to install the software
download is complete, you may opt to install the poker software. Then
all you have to do is click "Next" and follow the instructions
as they appear. It's that easy!!
Whether you've got Windows 2000 or Windows XP you'll have easy online
screens to guide you along the way. After the installation is complete
you simply need to enter your registration details. Thereafter you'll
receive a confirmation email along with your account number and password
information.
Also, if this is your first time on the MicroGaming Poker Network,
you will also need to register an Alias. This is also easily done by
following the simple online instructions. Once those basic steps are
done you are ready to play poker. At this point you can also choose to
with either the software download or the no-download options.
You'll also want to install the "Personal Messenger". It's
a great little tool that goes onto your desktop. At the end of the above
software installation process you'll be asked if you also want to try
the personal messenger. We suggest you do give it a try. With
this tool you won't be left out when tournaments or new promotional
offers are started. It could give you an edge on leveraging your money further
- for free. It is also a secure method of communication that will reduce
the number of emails that receive.
For an informative virtual tour of the Royal Vegas Poker room
go to the getting started section and click on the FAQ link. The tour
will show you the various parts of the lobby interface, explain a little
about the different games available, show some sample table games and
provide an overview of the game and playing sequence. This is great
feature to use if you've never been to a poker site before and wish to
look around before you install any software.
Even if you are a professional player, the virtual guide is an indispensable
tool that you should use to remind yourself of particular options or
find features that you did know existed. This area is a highly
recommended place for everyone!!
If you ever forget your password you can get it by following
some easy steps located in the getting started section. You do need to
remember the email address you used when you registered with the poker
site. Enter this email address in the area provided and you'll get a
validation email. This email will include all of your Fortune
Lounge gaming accounts. Next, you simply choose the applicable casino
account password you would like to reset. Then you just enter and
confirm your new password. Very simple.
Playing For Fun - Many potential players do not realize that
they can also play a the casino without using any money. This "play
for fun" option is available as soon as you have register at the
Royal Vegas Poker site. You don't have to put any of your money in to do
so.
To start out with you'll get 2,000 free chips. With these free chips
you can play the top game of Texas Hold'em. You can also play the other
poker games including Omaha, 7-Card Stud and 5-Card Stud. As with the
real games there are a number of betting limits and rules allowable.
To get to the free games you go to the game lobby and you'll see list
for the free poker games. You can also get a list for each poker games
type. Choose the game you want to play above the table list and the
games table list will be displayed. Free tables are shown in a different
color and they say "Play" next to the stakes. Just
double-click the table name and click on the "Go To Table"
button. If you use up all your free chips you can wait until the
next day. You'll be credited with 2,000 new free chips to play poker.
If you want to play for real, all you need is a minimum of $20 of
your own money.
The Rake - The rake is the amount of money taken out of each
pot for the poker operator. In the Royal Vegas Poker "any player
that is dealt cards in a hand and the pot is raked at a minimum of
25c". The rake is varialbe and dependent upon the table limits.
However, the amount is fixed and gets tagged onto pots that reach a
pre-determined size. Every hand that has a total pot of at least $5 is
raked.
For all tables with blinds $0.05/$0.10 and up with 2 players the rake
per pot is $0.01 per $0.20 with a maximum rake of $1. For a table with
blinds of $0.05/$0.10 and up with 3 to 10 players the rake per pot is
$0.01 per $0.20 with a maximum rake of $3.
Only players who contribute to the pot are subject to the rake. As
such, those players who post a blind, bet, raise or re-raise are subject
to the rake. Likewise, players who sit out a hand do not have their rake
allocations credited for that hand.
Software Used - The Royal Vegas Poker uses Microgaming
software. Microgaming software was the first online software developed.
It is used by most oldest and biggest names in online gaming.
Microgaming software is always constantly upgraded and refined to
assure reliability optimum suitability. No matter how many players
are playing games, the software process remains viable and playable.
Microgaming is steadfast in it's adherence to an ethical industry code
of conduct.
The software is regularly reviewed by an independent audit firm. The
software is made to be totally fair. The software processes conform to
the highest standards of gaming software possible. The shuffling
process is random and conforms to a normal shuffle in land based
poker room.
Extraordinary means are taken to make certain that cards are dealt
completely randomly. The algorithms for shuffling and the random number
generator are designed to create an variable shuffle. Also, your down
cards are known only to you. The game server deals them only to
your computer. This process makes it impossible for any player to know
what cards you have when the hand is being played.
Poker Strategy - What is the reason that so many people all
over the world are attracted by online poker play? There are as many
reasons people like to play poker as there are people. However, many of
these reasons can be grouped into some basic categories. By
understanding these rationales you can better understand the people
behind the computer and the ways they might react to poker situations.
People like online poker because of an atmosphere of friendship,
social setting, love of the game, craving for action, game challenge and
because of personal player ego.
In order to learn to play poker effectively you'll need to understand
the game components. You'll need to know about hand rankings and
other poker basics. Obviously, there is only one winner per hand.
Unlike games like blackjack, only the player with the best hand
wins.
The most important basic to know are the hand rankings. If you
don't have a solid grasp on the rankings you'll never prosper. No matter
which version of the game you play, the hand rankings always is the
same. However, depending on the game you play, the individual card
values may change. In case of a tie, the winner is the player with the
highest card in the rank.
Hand Rankings
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Royal Flush - Straight flush with the high card being an ace
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Straight Flush - Five sequential cards of the same suite with the
high card being less than an ace
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Four-of-a-kind - Four cards of the same value
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Full House - Three cards of the same value and a separate pair of
cards of the same value
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Flush Five cards of the same suite
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Straight - Five cards with sequential values
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Three-of-a-kind - Three cards with the same value
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Two Pair - Two separate pairs of cards with the same value
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Pair - Two cards of the same value
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High Card - No other combination, the value of the highest card
wins
Poker Basics
Poker is a game where players bet against other players.
The winner of the pot of money is the one who has the highest ranked
hand at the end of the betting rounds. Players bet against each other by
adding money to the pot until no one wants to add another bet believing
that they do not have the highest ranked hand. By betting larger amounts
of money the players are risking ever increasing amounts up to the point
that belief that they have the largest hand is not as solid as the risk
of continued bets and losses.
All poker games includes two bets that all players are
required to make. In Texas Hold'em and Omaha, the two bets are a small
blind and a big blind while in Seven Card Stud the two bets are the ante
and the bring-in. The types of bet that can be made include a check,
bet, fold, call or a raise.
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