Lo Poker Player
Poker of all types, including Texas Hold'em and video poker, are easy to play, but difficult to master. Don’t take our word for it – just ask one of the world’s more than 100 million players! Although it is a card game based on luck of the draw, poker also requires thought and strategy. Dec 10, 2020 A low hand is composed of any two cards from a player's hand, and any three cards from the board (community cards). The cards a player uses for his best High hand have no effect on the low. The player can use the same cards, different ones or a combination from his hand. August 11, 2020 at 9:44 AM. By Steve Ruddock. Poker writer Ken Lo’s work has appeared in PokerNews.com, and he runs his personal website, MixedGames.net. But his lasting contribution to the game of poker (at least up to this point) is the 691 page treatise on mixed game poker strategies he penned back in 2014: A Poker Player’s Guide to Mixed Games: Core Strategies for HORSE, Eight-Game. During a cash game at the 2014 Aussie Millions, Phua was involved in a AUD$991,000 pot against fellow Macau poker player, Lo Shing Fung. Fung ( 8 ♣ 7 ♣ ) put Phua ( 10 ♠ 10 ♣ ) all in on the turn with the board reading 2 ♦ 9 ♥ 10 ♦ 6 ♣. In Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo poker, players are individually dealt seven cards throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five-card hand possible for each player is used to determine the winner. Visit our Poker Hand Rankings page to see the ranking of hands for Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo.
Table Of Contents
What is Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8-or-Better Poker?
If you know how to play pot-limit Omaha (or 'Omaha high'), you are well on your way to learning how to play Omaha hi-lo.
As the name suggests, Omaha hi-lo is a 'split-pot' version of Omaha poker in which players compete for both the 'high' and 'low' halves of the pot. Omaha hi-lo is usually played with fixed-limit betting and often turns up in 'mixed game' formats like H.O.R.S.E. (in which Omaha hi-lo is the 'O') or the popular 8-game mix.
You will sometimes see the game referred to simply as 'Omaha 8' or even 'O/8' or more elaborately as 'Omaha hi-lo split-pot-8-or-better.' The name gets styled differently, too, as 'Omaha High-Low,' 'Omaha poker high-low' and so on.
Pot-limit and no-limit versions of Omaha hi-lo are also popular, especially online either as cash games or tournaments.
How to Play Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8-or-Better Poker
The basic rules for Omaha hi-lo are very similar to pot-limit Omaha. See 'How to Play Omaha Poker' for an overview of how to play Omaha poker, which is itself a variation on regular Texas hold'em.
Just like in pot-limit Omaha, players are dealt four cards in Omaha hi-lo and are required to use two of those four cards in combination with three community cards in order to make a five-card poker hand.
As in hold'em or pot-limit Omaha, if a player bets and everyone folds before the showdown, the player wins the pot without having to show a hand. However, if the final bet is called and there is a showdown, hands are examined to see who has the best 'high' hand and who has the best 'low' hand, with each winning one-half of the pot.
Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8-or-Better Rules
In Omaha hi-lo, the 'high' hand is determined exactly the same way as in hold'em or Omaha 'high' games (like PLO), following traditional hand rankings.
The 'low' hand requires a little more explanation, especially if you are new to split-pot games or hi-lo poker.
First of all, whatever cards you use to make your high hand, that makes no difference when making your low hand. You can use the same two cards, the other two cards, or any combination just as long as you use two cards from your four-card hand plus three of the community cards to build your five-card poker hand.
The rules of Omaha hi-lo is usually played with a 'qualifier' for the low hand, meaning all of the cards making up a low hand have to be ranked eight or lower. That's where the 'split-8-or-better' comes from, a phrase usually added to the name of the game.
A qualifying low hand consists of five unpaired cards ranked eight or lower. For the low hand, the ace is considered a low card (the lowest), while it can also serve as the highest-ranking card in high hands.
Also worth noting — if your lowest five cards make a straight or a flush, that doesn't matter in Omaha hi-lo, you've still got a low hand (if all are ranked eight or lower). In other 'lowball' games like 2-7 no-limit triple draw, flushes and straights hurt you by making your low hand higher, but in Omaha hi-lo that is not the case.
That means a hand consisting of 5-4-3-2-A would be the lowest possible hand — that is to say, the best 'low hand' in Omaha hi-lo. This hand is sometimes called a 'wheel.' The next lowest possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A. The worst low hand that qualifies as a low in Omaha hi-lo would be 8-7-6-5-4.
A good way to figure out which low hand is best is to arrange the hand from highest card to lowest card and then to think of the hand as a five-digit number, with the lowest number being the best (or lowest) hand. Thus 5-4-3-2-A (54321) is better than 6-4-3-2-A (64321), and 6-4-3-2-A is better than 6-5-3-2-A (65321) and so on.
An Example of an Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8-or-Better Poker Hand
Let's say a hand of Omaha hi-lo goes to showdown with the final board reading 6♣3♠K♦Q♦.
You hold A♣K♠7♦4♣, and your opponent has Q♠J♦4♦2♠.
Your best possible high hand is two pair, aces and kings — using the A♣ and K♠ in your hand pairing them with the ace and king on board, with the queen being a kicker.
Your best possible low hand is 7-6-4-3-A — using the 7♦ and 4♣ in your hand along with the three low cards on the board. Note how you can't use the ace in your hand when making your low hand, since you have to use exactly two cards in your hand and three on the board (and there is an ace on the board).
Your opponent, meanwhile, has you beat both for the high and the low!
Your opponent's best possible high hand is a flush — using the two diamonds in his hand (J♦ and 4♦) and the three diamonds on the board.
Your opponent's best possible low hand is 6-4-3-2-A — using the 4♦ and the 2♠ in his hand along with the three low cards on the board. 64321 is lower than 76431, so your opponent has you beat.
Winning both halves of the pot like this is called a 'scoop' or 'scooping,' which is something you always want to try to do when playing split-pot or hi-lo poker games.
Sometimes in Omaha hi-lo there is no qualifying low hand. This is the case whenever there are less than three unpaired cards ranked eight or lower on the board.
For example, if the board is 9♣K♦A♥4♥J♠, there are only two cards ranked eight or lower on the board (the ace and four), which means it is impossible for anyone to make a low hand. When that happens, whoever has the best high hand scoops the whole pot.
Conclusion
Omaha hi-lo is not difficult to learn, especially if you already know how to play pot-limit Omaha. The strategy can be complicated, though, with a great deal of importance placed on understanding what are strong starting hands (e.g., hands containing an ace with at least one or two low cards, especially a deuce) and not making the mistake of battling for only half of the pot (just the high or low).
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| Paul Phua | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Macau |
| Born | Wei Seng Phua 29 April 1964 (age 56) Miri, Malaysia |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
| Information accurate as of 26 February 2018. | |
Wei Seng 'Paul' Phua (born 29 April 1964) is a Malaysian Chinese businessman and poker player. Phua is a casino VIP junket operator who regularly hosts high stakes gambling in Macau. Phua has been called 'A Legend in the Gambling World' and the 'World's Biggest Bookie'.[1][2]
Early life[edit]
What Are The Omaha Hi Lo Hand Rankings?HIGH POT Calculating The 'high' Hand Winner Is Easy Because You Just Follow The Standard Hand Rankings: Royal Flush Straight Flush Quads...
Phua was born in 1964 in Miri, Malaysia, a coastal city in northeastern Sarawak.
As a child, he had a passion for sports, he played badminton, football, basketball, softball and table tennis.
At the age of 15, Phua was sent to attend school in Singapore. There, he played bowling before becoming involved in the Macau casino junket business.
Career[edit]
Phua has a career as a VIP junket operator in Macau and was an ambassador for San Marino to Montenegro.[2]
In 2006, he worked with Steve Wynn who opened Wynn Macau and expanded Wynn's business.
He regularly hosts high stakes gambling where he allegedly built up a net worth of USD$1 billion.[3]
Poker[edit]
How To Play Omaha Hi Lo?Omaha Hi Lo Or 'Omaha 8' Is Similar To PLO / Pot-limit Omaha (Omaha 'high'). Except Omaha Hi Lo Is The Split-pot Version Where Players Compete For...
Phua did not start playing Texas hold 'em until he was in his 40s.
In 2010, Las Vegas high stakes cash games began moving to Macau, players such as Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, Chau Giang, Patrik Antonius and John Juanda started playing there.
By 2011, other professional poker players had joined the games in Macau.[4] Phua played and learned from these players. In 2012, Phua entered the 2012 World Series of Poker $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop event.[5]
In 2012, Phua won the Aspers £100K High Roller in London after defeating Richard Yong in heads up play, earning him his largest cash of $1,621,297.[1] In 2016, he won One Drop Extravaganza €100,000 Super High Roller after defeating Mikita Badziakouski in heads-up play, earning $827,722 in the process.[6]
During a cash game at the 2014 Aussie Millions, Phua was involved in a AUD$991,000 pot against fellow Macau poker player, Lo Shing Fung. Fung (8♣7♣) put Phua (10♠10♣) all in on the turn with the board reading 2♦9♥10♦6♣. The two elected to run the board only once, the river came the A♥, giving Fung the pot with his turned straight.[7]
Top 10 Richest Poker Players In The World - Updated Oct. 2020
In September 2018, Phua was involved in the biggest televised cash game pot of all time, winning $2.35 million against Tom Dwan.[8]
On August 8, 2019, Paul Phua finished second at Triton Series 2019 £100,000 Tournament and won £2,558,305.[9]
As of March 2020, Paul Phua's total live tournament cashes exceed $19,330,992.[10]
Paul Phua Poker[edit]
In 2016, Phua started his own poker strategy website Paul Phua Poker. Players such as Phil Ivey, Timofey Kuznetsov, Dan Colman, Daniel Cates, Tom Dwan, Sam Trickett, Lauren Roberts and others have contributed videos and tips for the site.[11] The site also promotes six-plus hold 'em, a newer variation of Texas hold 'em where the cards valued 2 through 5 are removed.
Phua is close personal friends with many of these stars who often give interviews on his YouTube channel. He has the closest relationship with Tom Dwan.
Personal life[edit]
Phua and his son Darren Wai Kit Phua both play poker. He currently resides in Macau.
References[edit]
- ^ abForrest, Brett (2015-11-12). 'From The Mag: How the world's biggest bookie was snared at last year's WSOP -- and walked a free man'. ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^ abSim, Johannan (2015-09-01). 'Meet Malaysia's 'God of Gambler', Paul Phua [Update]'. CILISOS.my. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^'Malaysian believed to have made millions from high-stake poker games'. The Star Online. 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^Holloway, Chad (2011-12-05). 'Big Game in Macau: Antonius Welcome, Hall Speaks, & Trickett Up $1.8 Million'. PokerNews. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^Holloway, Chad (2012-10-25). 'Deconstructing the Macau High-Stakes Cash Games'. PokerNews. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^Fast, Erik (2016-10-17). 'Paul Phua Wins 2016 One Drop Extravaganza €100,000 Super High Roller'. cardplayer.com. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^Pempus, Brian (2014-09-15). 'WATCH: Crazy $1M Poker Cash Game Hand'. Card Player. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^'Paul Phua's Life: Biggest Profits, Losses and Net Worth'. Somuchpoker. 2020-03-26. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- ^'Triton series 2019 £100,000 Tournament Results'. casinowinners.asia. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^'Hendon Mob Database: Paul Phua'. Pokerdb.thehendonmob.com. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^Pete (26 April 2017). 'Phil Ivey In Conversation With Paul Phua'. HighstakesDB. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
External links[edit]
- Paul Phua on Twitter