Popular in Europe for years, Omaha poker is rapidly gaining fans worldwide over the last few years and now sits comfortably as the second-most played poker variation in the world.

 

The newfound lust for Omaha can be attributed to a couple of things: For one, there's a natural similarity in the rules to Texas Hold 'em, making the switch over an easy one for most players.

 

Second, and likely the biggest draw, is the game's all-out action. Unlike Holdem, Omaha players are much more inclined to make and call more bets and to play more hands to completion.

 

This increased action can make the game incredibly exciting and infinitely more interesting to both beginners and professionals alike.

 

If you've just read the Texas Hold 'em Rules and Game Play guide, or you already understand how to run and play a game of Texas Hold 'em, most of the information in this article will be old news to you.

 

There are only two differences between Hold 'em and Omaha:

 

· Every player is dealt four cards in Omaha (instead of two in Hold 'em)

 

· There are more rules for evaluating the winning hand at showdown.

 

If you're coming into this article fresh, and would like to learn how to run and play a game of Omaha Poker, just keep reading. You'll find that the game is simple to learn, and a lot of fun to play.

 

This article will cover all the aspects of Omaha in broad strokes. If you need more detail on anything in this guide such as:

 

· How to decide the denominations of chips you should use.

 

· How to pick the stakes of your game (set betting limits).

 

· More details on how betting, raising and calling works.

 

· Glossary of poker terms used in this guide.

 

You can find all of that information in the Texas Hold 'em Rules and Game Play article

 

The Basics

 

Omaha is a community-card game played with two to ten players on one table. The goal of the game is to win as many chips as you can off your opponents. You win chips by winning a pot, and you win a pot in one of two ways:

 

1. All the other players fold their hands, making you the only player left in the pot.

 

2. You have the best hand at the showdown.

 

A game of Omaha only ends when the players decide they are finished playing, or one player wins all of the chips from the other players - those players being unwilling to re-buy and continue playing.

 

A game of Omaha can be broken up into a few simple sections:

 

· Setup

 

· Betting Rounds

 

· Showdown

 

Setup

 

When you have two to ten players sitting around a table, each with a stack of chips, you're ready to get started. The first thing you need to do is draw the high card for a dealer.

 

Deal every player one card face up. The player with the highest ranked card (Aces are high) will start as the game's dealer. If two players both have the same high card, either deal both players a second card, or use the suits of their card to determine the winner.

 

(Poker suit ordering is alphabetic from worst to best: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades)

 

When you have a dealer, give that player the dealer button (typically a white disk, used to keep track of the current dealer in the hand). This player needs to shuffle up the cards and prepare to deal the first hand.

 

Before the cards are dealt in any hand, the two players to the left of the dealer need to put out the blinds. The player directly to the left of the dealer puts out the small blind and the player to the left of the small blind puts out the big blind.

 

· The big blind is equal to the size of the small betting limit.

 

· The small blind is half of the size of the small blind (Rounded for convenience. For example if the big blind is 25¢, the small blind would be 10¢)

 

Once the blinds are out, the dealer can deal the cards. Starting with the player to the dealer's left (the small blind) and moving clockwise around the table, each player is dealt one card at a time (face down) until all players have exactly four cards.

 

Betting Rounds

 

Once the last card is dealt, you are now in the first betting round, known as "preflop." A betting round ends when two conditions are met:

 

1. All players have had a chance to act.

 

2. All players who haven't folded have bet the same amount of money for the round.

 

In poker only one player can act at a time, starting at the player to the left of the big blind. This player has three options:

 

· Fold: They pay nothing to the pot and throw away their hand, waiting for the next deal to play again.

 

· Call: They match the amount of the big blind.

 

· Raise: They raise the bet by doubling the amount of the big blind. A player may raise more depending on the betting style you are playing.,

 

Once the player to the left of the big blind acts, the action moves clockwise around the table, one player at a time. Each player has the same options, fold, call or raise. The amount of a call or raise is always dependant on the size of the last bet made.

 

For example, for the first player to call, they would need to match the size of the big blind. If they raise, they would need to double the big blind. If they choose to raise, the next player would have to call the full amount of the big blind + the raise to call.

 

When the action gets back to the small blind, they have the option to fold, call or raise just like everyone else. The difference is that the money they have bet as the small blind is subtracted from the total amount they would have to call.

 

If the best is 50¢ and they have 10¢ in as a small blind, they will need to add another 40¢ to call - more if they wanted to raise.

 

The big blind is the same as the small blind. If there has been no raise, and their big blind is the same amount as the current bet, instead of calling (since to call you need to add money) they have the option to check. A check is the same as a call, only it requires no money.

 

Once everyone has had a chance to act, and everyone still with a hand has the same amount of money wagered, the betting round is over.

 

The Flop

 

Once the preflop betting round is concluded, the flop is dealt. In a community-card came such as Omaha, there will be a total of five community cards for any hand reaching a showdown. The flop is the first three of the five cards dealt.

 

The dealer deals one card face down (this is called the burn card) and three cards face up. After the flop is dealt, the action starts on the first player to the left of the dealer still with a hand (players with a hand are known as "live players").

 

This player is in a similar situation to the big blind preflop. They can check or bet. Since there is no bet before them this round, they are not required to add any money to call, and they do not need to fold either. A bet in this round is the same amount as the big blind.

 

After they act the action moves to the next live player to his or her left.

 

The Turn

 

Once the flop betting round is complete, the dealer deals the turn. This is done by one card being dealt face down (another burn card), and one card dealt face up. Once this is done the next betting round starts.

 

The turn's betting round is exactly the same as the flop's, with one exception. A single bet on the turn now uses the larger betting limit. Typically the larger betting limit is double the size of the big blind.

 

Sometimes, mostly for convenience, the large betting limit is slightly larger than double the big blind. This is most common in games such as a $2-$5 Limit game.

 

Using a $5 upper limit reduces the total number of chips a player needs to have in front of them by using $5 chips instead of all $1 and $2 chips.

 

The River

 

Once the turn betting round is complete, the final community card is dealt. The dealer deals one final card face down, followed by one card face up.

 

Once the river is dealt the final betting round of the hand begins.The river's betting round is identical in all ways to that of the turn.

 

Showdown

 

When the river betting round has been completed, all remaining live players enter into the showdown. The concept of the showdown is simple: the player with the best hand wins the pot.

 

Evaluating a winning hand in Omaha is slightly different than in Texas Hold 'em. If you're familiar with Texas Hold 'em, be sure to read the rules carefully for Omaha.

 

The first thing you need to know in evaluating Omaha hands is the poker hand ranking order. The chart of poker hand rankings can be found helsewhere.Here are some rules about evaluating an Omaha poker hand:

 

· There are no other hands used in Omaha than the hands listed in this chart. For example, having three pairs is actually only "two pair" with the highest valued two pairs making your hand.

 

· In Omaha a player must user exactly two cards from their hand, and three cards from the community cards to make their best hand possible. The player can use any two of their four cards, and any three of the five community cards, as long as they remember to use exactly two from their hand. For example:

 

o if the board is 2♥ J♣ Q♣ K♠ A♦

 

o Player 1 holds 10♠ 9♣ 9♥ 2♦

 

o Player 2 holds 10♣ 2♣ 3♥ 4♥

 

In this pot only Player 1 has a straight (9♣ 10♠ J♣ Q♣ K♠). Player two must use two cards from his hand giving him no more than a pair of twos (2♣ 2♥ A♦ K♠ 10♣).

 

· If all remaining players have nothing, no pair or anything stronger, the winning hand is the hand with the highest valued single card, meaning:

 

o A♣ 3♥ 4♦ 6♠ 7♠ is a better hand than K♠ Q♠ J♣ 9♣ 8♦

 

o A♣ J♥ 9♠ 8♦ 6♥ is a better hand than A♥ J♣ 9♦ 8♣ 2♠

 

· Because of having to use two cards out of your hand, if the board is a straight (A♦ 2♣ 3♥ 4♦ 5♣) you will need two of your own cards to fit into that straight to have a straight as your hand.

 

For example: 6♠ A♣ K♥ K♠ does not have a straight - the best hand they can make would be a pair of aces. 2♥ 3♣ Q♠ Q♦ does have a straight, being able to substitute their 2 and 3 for the 2 and 3 on the board.

 

· Suits are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand.

 

Once you have discerned the winning hand, that player wins the entire pot. When a pot is won, the hand is complete. After the hand completes the dealer passes the dealer button to the player to their left.

 

At this point you begin the next hand with the two players to the left of the new dealer putting out their blinds.

 

Omaha Poker Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit, Pot-Limit

 

Thanks to the action and excitement of Pot-Limit Omaha, Omaha has become the second most popular form of poker in the world.

 

Omaha can be played with a variety of betting structures, but only two are used with any regularity:

 

· Pot-Limit

 

· Fixed Limit

 

Omaha and No-Limit

 

Although it's technically possible to play Omaha as a No-Limit game, this combination is extremely rare. The rules and game-play of Omaha are such that the game requires rules for betting that have some semblance of structure.

 

In other words, the game is so draw- and action-laden that it doesn't function particularly well as No-Limit.

 

For this reason, players wishing to play a high-action Omaha game turn to Pot-Limit as their go-to betting structure.

 

Pot-Limit Omaha

 

The popularity of Pot- Limit Omaha has surged recently, to the point that this particular Omaha variation is now the second most played poker variant both online and live. In fact, it's not uncommon for 100% of the night's online high-stakes action to take place over Omaha tables.

 

1. Betting proceeds clockwise from the button. The player to the left of the button is the small blind and the player on his left is the big blind. The player on his left is under the gun, and acts first.

 

2. His options are to call the big blind, raise or fold.

 

3. Your minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind (this is assuming no players have bet before you on this betting round).

 

4. To determine the maximum bet, count all the money in the pot and all the bets on the table, including any call you would make before raising. (It sounds more complicated than it really is.)

 

Two examples for you:

 

o You're first to act on the flop with a pot of $15. You have the option to check or bet. You can bet anywhere from as little as the amount of the big blind, to the full amount of the pot ($15). Any bet in between is a "legal bet."

 

o You're second to act on the flop with a pot of $15. The first player bets $10. You now have the option to fold, call ($10) or raise.

 

5. Your minimum raise is equal to the amount of the previous bet. In this hand your minimum raise is $10 ($10 + $10 for a total bet of $20).

 

6. Your maximum raise is the amount of the pot. To figure this out, add up the pot + the bet + your call ($15 + $10 + $10 = $35). You are allowed to bet that total amount in addition to your call, meaning your total bet is $45 ($10 for the call + $35 for the size of the pot).

 

7. You can raise any amount in between the minimum and the maximum raise amount.

 

8. The size of the game is determined by the blind size. The buy-in is usually minimum 20 big blinds and maximum 100 big blinds.

 

Fixed-Limit Omaha

 

1. In Limit Omaha the betting limits are fixed.

 

2. The size of the game is determined by the bet size. For example, in a $4/$8 game the small bet is $4 and the big bet is $8. The blinds would be $2 and $4.

 

3. Play proceeds as it does in any community card game, with the blinds to the left of the button and the play proceeding clockwise.

 

4. Betting and raising are done in increments.

 

5. Before the flop betting works in increments of the small bet; $4 in our example. A bet would be equal to $4, a raise would be to a total of $8.

 

6. On the turn and river betting works in increments of the big bet; $8 in our example. A bet would be equal to $8, a raise would be equal to $16.

 

The Limit betting structure puts a cap on the number of raises. Most venues allow a maximum of a bet and three raises, although some rooms have a cap of four raises.

 

Omaha High vs. Omaha Hi-Lo

 

Conveniently for those who know Omaha High, Omaha Hi-Lo is played according to almost identical rules.

 

The only time the High and Hi-Lo differ rules-wise is at the showdown.

 

Omaha Hi-Lo, also known as Omaha High-Low, O8 and Omaha 8-or-Better, is one of the most popular and entertaining forms of poker in the world.

 

Because this article only details the differences between Omaha High and Omaha Hi-Lo, if you aren't familiar with the rules and game play of Omaha High, you're going to want to read this article:

 

· Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play

 

Assuming you understand how to play Omaha High, let's look at what distinguishes the two games.

 

Omaha Hi-Lo Showdown Rules

 

Omaha Hi-Lo is a "split pot" game, meaning that at showdown, the pot is divided in half, with one half being awarded to the winning best hand, and the other half to the best qualifying "low hand."

 

The High

 

The winning high hand in Omaha Hi-Lo is identical to that of Omaha High. There are no qualification requirements for the high, meaning there will always be a winning high hand.

 

· Poker Hand Ranking

 

The Low

 

Low hands must qualify to be eligible for winning the low half of the pot.

 

· 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.

 

· A qualifying low hand is defined as five unpaired cards, all with ranks at or below 8.

 

· Aces are considered low for the low hand.

 

· Flushes and straights are ignored for the low, meaning the best low possible is A-2-3-4-5 regardless of suits.

 

· Low hands are counted from the top down, meaning the hand is only as good as its highest card. For example:

 

o 2♠ 3♣ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ is lower than A♠ 2♣ 3♥ 4♣ 8♠

 

· Any hand with a pair, or with a card higher than 8, does not qualify, even if the rank of the pair is below 8.

 

· Suits do not count toward a low; any players sharing the exact same low must equally split the low half of the pot. (Winning half of the Low pot, and nothing from the High pot is known as being quartered.)

 

A hand example:

 

Board: 4♥ 5♣ 7♥ Q♠ A♦

 

Hand 1: A♥ 2♠ K♥ K♠

 

Hand 2: A♠ 3♠ Q♥ Q♦

 

High Winner: Hand 2 wins with three-of-a-kind queens: Q♥ Q♦ Q♠ A♦ 7♥

 

Low Winner: Hand 1 wins with a 7-5-4-2 Low: 7♥ 5♣ 4♥ 2♠ A♥

 

Here's a more difficult one for you:

 

Board: K♥ 3♦ 4♦ 8♠ 2♦

 

Hand 1: A♥ 2♠ Q♦ K♠

 

Hand 2: 6♥ 7♥ T♦ J♦

 

High Winner: Hand 2 wins with a flush, jack-high: 2♦ 3♦ 4♦ T♦ J♦

 

Low Winner: Hand 2 Wins with a 7-6 Low: 7♥ 6♥ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦

 

In this pot, Hand 2 scoops with the best high and the best low. Many players will think that Hand 1 will win the low because A-2 is a lot lower than 6-7.

 

Unfortunately, Hand 1 pairs his 2 on the river, meaning he has to use the 8 as his fifth card to make a qualifying Low hand. Even though the majority of Hand 2's cards are higher, Hand 2 is able to use the three lowest cards on the board, making for a low of only seven-high.

 

General Rules

 

· If there is an extra odd chip, unable to be split in half, this chip is always added to the pot awarded to the winning high hand.

 

· If there is no qualifying low hand, the entire pot is awarded to player with the winning high hand.

 

· Players can win one or both halves of the pot with the same or different cards from their hand.

 

· A player does not have to announce what half of the pot she's playing for at the beginning of the hand. This is only required in other variations of poker, known as "declare" games.