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How to play Omaha Poker
Learn the basics in Omaha Poker
How to play Omaha
Omaha is not as popular as Texas Hold 'em poker, but still enjoys a place in the hearts of many poker players. Like Texas Hold 'em, Omaha is a community card game, which means that players make their best hand from hole cards and cards on the board that any player may use. Omaha is very similar to Texas Hold 'em' in fact, the full name of the game is Omaha hold 'em. There are some important differences in the games that you must keep in mind if you are used to playing Texas Hold 'em. Here's the most important one:
In Omaha, you MUST use exactly two of your four hole cards and three of the community cards in order to make a hand.
Keep this rule in mind during the rest of this article, it's absolutely essential when you are betting and during the showdown.
The other important difference between Omaha and Texas hold 'em is that in Omaha, players are dealt four hole cards instead of just two. This not only changes the mathematical odds, but also the number of players who can participate in a game. Let's take a look at the basic rounds of game play.
Game play
As in other versions of poker, Omaha is played with a standard 52 card deck, with no jokers.
After the blinds are placed, the dealer (the dealer may be a designated person, such as when playing at a casino, or players may take turns. When the player is designated, a button is used to indicate the dealer position at the table so the blinds shift accordingly.) deals four cards to each player. These are the hole cards, and only the player who receives the cards should look at them.
The first betting round, known as the pre-flop, now begins. Betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind and goes clockwise. The betting continues until all players have folded, put in all their chips, or matched the amount put in by other active players.
After the betting ends, the dealer puts three cards on the board. This is known as the flop. These cards can be used by anyone at the table in any combination to make the best hand. After the flop is dealt, another round of betting occurs.
When the flop round is completed with all players having folded, called, or checked, a single card called the turn is dealt. This is followed by a third round of betting, after which the river (again a single card) is dealt. Another round of betting follows, and if there is more than one player left, a showdown will occur.
Remember, the showdown in Omaha is much different than that in Texas hold 'em, because each player MUST use two of their hole cards and three community cards to make the hand. No other combination is possible.
Variations
There are two popular variations of Omaha, Omaha high and high-low split. In Omaha high, the player with the highest hand will take the pot. In hi/lo, though, the pot will be split between the player with the highest hand and the player with the lowest hand.
The low hand has to be 4-5-6-7-8 or lower in order to qualify. There are two unusual circumstances that may result.
- One player may be able to make both the high and the low hand by using two cards from his or her hand and three from the board. In this case, the player takes the entire pot instead of splitting it.
- No players may qualify for a low hand, in which case the player with the high hand takes the whole pot.
Transition from Texas hold 'em
Obviously Omaha has a few more complexities than Texas Hold 'em, but the similarities are so strong that many players forget the differences and are lulled into bad play. Here are some common mistakes that are made when playing Omaha.
- Mistake on the flush draw. In Texas Hold 'em, a player has a possible flush if there are three or more suited cards on the board. However, in order to play that flush, a player will need two of that suit in his or her hand; a fourth card on the board cannot be used. So if there are four hearts up and you have the A hearts in your hand but that's your only heart, no flush for you.
- Three of a kind on the board means you need a pair in your hand to make the full house. It might look like you have a beauty hand if the board turns up K-K-K-4-Q and you are holding another Q, but you can't use for community cards for the strong hand. The best you have is two pair. A player holding a pair of twos will have you beat.
That is, of course, just a quick introduction to the game of Omaha poker. It will take a while before you can totally understand the odds and even soak in the entire showdown process, but once you get the hang of it this version of poker can be incredibly fun.
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