Omaha Poker Rules

Omaha Poker is a hugely popular version of the game, which is only surpassed by Texas Holdem. However in many ways, Omaha is a much more exciting version of the game with hands generally being of a much higher value and pot sizes being huge.

Omaha Poker is played in a very similar way to Texas Holdem, so if you're a Holdem junkie looking to try something a little different, then Omaha is the natural progression for you as you're bound to pick up the rules in no time.

The one thing to bear in my mind when you're playing is that a valid Omaha hand must be made by using two hole cards and three community cards. No other combinations are acceptable. This has been known to cause Texas Holdem players a few problems at first as they are used to be able to use one, two or even none of their hold cards to make their final hand.

That is no longer the case in Omaha though which can cause issues with hands that rely on a lot of help from the board. For example, if four spades were dealt in the community cards, Holdem players would only need to have a fifth spade in their hand to complete the flush. That's not the case in Holdem, where they would need two spades in their to complete the same hand.

Paying blinds

As in Texas Holdem, players are asked to pay blinds before cards are dealt. The player to the left of the dealer will pay a small blind (usually half the lower betting limit) and the second player to the left of the dealer will pay a big blind (equal to the lower betting limit).

For example, in a $2/$4 Omaha poker game, the small blind will be worth $1 and the big blind will be $2.

The role of small blind and big blind will rotate around the table with the dealer button. Therefore, each player will be requested to pay a small blind and a big blind in one circuit of play.

In big money games, a dealers button will be used to represent the position of the dealer at the table.

Dealing Cards Preflop

Once the blinds are in the middle of the table, single cards will be dealt to each player at the table in turn until they have all received four cards face down.

Players are able to look at their cards before the first betting round begins. At this point, a player will chose whether to call the minimum bet, to raise or to fold. Once that decision has been made, action will continue clockwise around the table until all bets have been satisfied.

In Omaha, the first player to bet is always the player sat to the left of the nominated dealer.

The Flop

Just as in Holdem, three community cards will the be dealt face up in the middle of the table. They may be used in conjunction with the four cards that a player holds in his hand to create the best possible five card poker hand.

Once the flop has been dealt, another round of betting starts with players able to check, bet or fold. Action will continue clock wise again until all bets have been settled.

The Turn

The Turn is the fourth community card to be dealt dealt face up in the middle of the table. Players will evaluate their hand again before a third round of betting starts.

The River

A fifth and final community card is placed in the middle of the table before another round of betting starts in exactly the same manner as previous rounds. If, at the end of this, there is still more than one player in the pot, the remaining players must show their hands with the highest value hand being declared the winner.

Remember: A valid Omaha hand must be made up of 3 community cards and two hole cards. No other combination of cards are allowed, as they are in Texas Holdem.

The Ranking of Hands

The ranking of hands in Omaha poker is exactly the same as in Texas Holdem with single cards ranking the lowest and a royal flush being the highest possible hand out there.