Omaha

Omaha is a variation of Hold'em. In Omaha, players are dealt four hole cards instead of two and when making their hand they must use two and only two of the hole cards as well as three of the community cards. The wider range of hand possibilities can generate some big pots and big pots can cause a lot of excitement at the table.

How to play Omaha

The Button

In Omaha, the button represents the dealer position at the table. The dealer position is considered the strongest playing position, as it gives that player the opportunity to see how the other players place their bets each round. The button is rotated clockwise around the table giving each player a fair share of early, late and middle betting positions.

Blinds

The blinds are mandatory bets placed by the two players to the left of the button; the player to the immediate left posts the "small blind" and the second player to the left of the button places "the big blind". The blind amount is set by the minimum bet amount for the table, for example if you are playing in a $5/$10 game the small blind would be $5 and the big blind would be $10.

When a new player sits down at the table and they are not in the big blind position, the player will be required to post an amount equivalent to the big blind in order to join in the game. If they choose not to post the big blind, they must wait until they are in the big blind position to start play at the table. This prevents players from leaving and rejoining the table in order to avoid paying the mandatory bets.

Betting Rounds

First Round/Pre-Flop

After the blinds are added to the pot, the players will be dealt four hole cards. The players can see their own cards but not their opponents. The first option to bet is given to the player on the left of the big blind, the player can choose to call, raise or fold. Each successive will have the same options. When all the players at the table have either called or folded their hands the first round of betting is completed.

Second Round/The Flop

The second round begins when the dealer turns over the first three community cards. These cards are called the Flop. The betting begins with the player to the left of the button. That player has the choice to check or bet. If the player chooses to check, they are passing the first option to bet to the player on their left who will have the same options. When the first player makes a bet, their bet must be equal or greater than the amount of the small blind. When the first bet has placed, the player to the left can call, raise or fold. In a $5 /$10 game, the minimum opening bet this round would be $5. When all the players at the table have either called or folded their hands the second round of betting is completed.

Third Round/The Turn

The third round begins when the dealer turns over the next community card is turned, this card is call the Turn. Betting follows the same format as the previous rounds, except the minimum bet will increase to the higher limit bet. In a $5/$10 game, the opening bet for the round would be $10.

Fourth Round/The River

When the third round of betting is complete, the dealer will turn over the fifth and final community card. This card is called the River. Betting follows the same format as the previous round.

Showdown

When all the bets have been called it's time to show the cards. The last player to bet or raise during the final round will show their cards first. If all of the players checked through the round, the first player to the left of the dealer will be the first to reveal their cards. The hands are turned over if they are higher than the previous hand, if the hand is lower ranked the player has the option to reveal or muck (fold and not reveal) their cards. The player with the best five card hand wins. In the event of identical hands, the pot is split between the winners.

There are two different types of Omaha Poker games, made different by their betting structures

• Limit: Players may bet a fixed amount for each round.
• Pot Limit: Players may bet an amount equal to the pot size.

Limit Omaha

In a Fixed Limit game, the bet and raise amount are a pre-set amount. The betting is equal to the big blind in the first two rounds of betting but doubles for the last two rounds. There is a maximum of four bets per betting round, a bet and up to three raises. For example in a $5/$10 the players must bet $5 and raise by $5 up to a maximum of $20 for the pre-flop and flop rounds, they must bet $10 and raise by $10 up to a maximum of $40 for the turn and river round.

Pot Limit Omaha

In a Pot Limit game, the maximum bet/raise cannot exceed the total amount of money in the pot. Therefore, if the pot is $45 you cannot bet more than $45. If you are raising another players bet, your call is already included in the pot. For example if your opponent opens with a $100 wager, your maximum wager could be $300.

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