Oh Shit Poker Rules

This variation of Omaha hi-lo was contributed to pagat.com by Britt Martin. It uses a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards.

The pot is split between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand. High hands follow the standard hand rankings.

For low, aces are low and straights and flushes do not count, so A-2-3-4-5 is the best low hand. A low hand qualifies only if it is eight-high or better.

Each player is dealt five hole cards, and ten more are used for the board, so the deck allows at most eight players.

Antes or blinds follow the table's usual practice. Each player is dealt five cards face down.

Ten community cards are dealt face down on the table in two rows of five.

There are six betting rounds. The first takes place before any community card is turned.

After each of the first five betting rounds, the dealer turns one card face up in each row.

The sixth and final betting round takes place when all ten community cards are face up.

Each hand shall use exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards, and all three community cards must come from the same row.

High and low are judged separately, so a player may use different hole cards, and a different row, for each half.

The best high hand wins half the pot and the best qualifying low hand wins the other half. If no low qualifies, the high hand takes the whole pot.

Six betting rounds make for large pots. The ability to choose between two rows keeps many hands alive until late in the deal.

As in any Omaha game, check that a hand really uses exactly two hole cards and three cards from one row; cards from different rows cannot be combined.