How to Play Omaha

Omaha is a game of poker similar to Texas Hold’em, however it is different in a very significant manner, players have to use two of their personal playing cards in addition to three community playing cards even though they could put together a better hand using say one of their hole cards and four common cards.  Just as in Texas Hold’em, there are common cards that the players all can employ and private playing cards available only to the player who was given them, further as in Texas Hold’em  all players attempts to make up the highest conventional set of cards.  Omaha is not like Texas Hold’em in that instead of being dealt two personal playing cards they are given four personal playing cards and must employ two of the cards when making a final five card set of cards.  In the ordinary game of Omaha Hold’em as in Texas Hold’em the person building the highest hand wins the pot, however; Omaha Hold’em has a variation on this, Omaha Hi/Lo, where the pot is evenly divided between the player who makes the best high value set of cards and the player who makes the best low ranking set of cards.

Much like Texas Hold’em, to begin playing mandatory bets called “blinds” are made ahead of the deal, (known as a ‘blind’ because the players haven’t seen a playing card yet).  The blinds are put in the pot by the two participants sitting to the left of the dealer, with the person immediately to the dealers left placing the small blind while the person to their left placing the big bind.

Each player is then given four playing cards face down, these are known as pocket cards or hole cards.  The person to the left of the player who placed the big blind is the first player to act he or she has three choices: raise the bet, call the bet or fold their hand.  The wagering continues around the table in a clockwise direction.

As soon as betting is finished  the dealer shows the next three cards, the flop, these cards are dealt face up and placed in the middle of the poker table.  The flop is the initial set of the “common” or “community” cards, so called because each of the players incorporate some of them in combination with his or her hole cards in an effort to construct the best set of cards.  With the flop being dealt one more round of betting takes place beginning with the player on the left of the dealer who has the choice of folding, raising the wager or calling the bet.

Another card is placed face up and joins the rest of the three community cards in the center of the poker table this card is referred to as “the turn” or “fourth street”.  Following this a new round of betting takes place.

The concluding playing card is dealt face up and included with the common cards in the middle of the poker table this playing card is referred to as “fifth street” or “the river”.  Following this the final round of wagering takes place.

All remaining participants then build their best set of cards to determine the winner beginning with the last participant to make a bet.  While building their best hand a player must use three of the community playing cards from the center of the poker table together with two out of the four hole cards they hold, no other grouping of common and personal playing cards is permitted.  In Omaha Hi as with most poker games the owner of the highest set of cards wins the pot. .

Starting cards in Omaha High will be important when playing; the finest starting hand in Omaha High is Ace-Ace-King-Queen double-suited.  Good starting hands in Omaha High include: Suited aces, four-card connectors, 10 Jack Queen King or two pairs (as long as one is high).