How to play
Big O is Omaha Hi-Lo with five hole cards. More cards mean more possible hands, so pots are bigger and split more often. Here you sit at a cash table with one to five computer opponents. Everyone starts with 1,000 chips, the blinds are 5 and 10, and a fresh 52-card deck is shuffled for every hand.
- Five hole cards. Everyone gets five cards face down; five community cards come out over the flop, turn and river, with a betting round after each.
- Pot limit. The most you can raise is the size of the pot after you call. The Pot button sets the largest raise.
- Two hands at the showdown. Each player makes a high hand and, if possible, a low hand, each from exactly two of their five hole cards and exactly three community cards. High and low can use different hole cards.
The low hand. Five cards of different ranks, all 8 or lower; aces count low and straights and flushes don’t matter, so A-2-3-4-5 is the best low. Lows are compared from the highest card down. The board must show at least three different cards of 8 or lower for anyone to make a low.
Splitting the pot. With a qualifying low, the pot is split in half between the best high and the best low (an odd chip goes to high); without one, the best high takes everything. One player can win both halves, ties split their half, and every side pot is split on its own.
Your hand under the table shows your high and your low once the flop is out. When an opponent runs out of chips, a new player sits down with 1,000 chips; if you run out, you can get 1,000 free credits at a new table. Your table is saved between visits.
Strategy
Expect strong hands. With five cards each, someone often holds the nut low and a strong high at the same time. A hand that would be good in four-card Omaha Hi-Lo is often only medium here.
Aces and deuces matter most. A-2 with more low cards and a suited ace is the classic Big O start. With five cards you can more easily hold a backup low card against counterfeits.
Don’t chase half the pot. Calling big pot-limit raises with a second-best low, or with a high hand on a board full of low cards, loses chips over time.
Watch the board texture. On a high board (fewer than three low cards), only high counts, and big straights and flushes win the whole pot.
More poker. For four hole cards, play Omaha Hi-Lo. For high-only five-card Omaha, try Five-Card Omaha.
If you enjoy Big O, try 30-Ball Speed Bingo or 75-Ball Bingo next.
