Beginners Guide to Omaha
Omaha is one of the most exciting poker games you could ever play. If you are not familiar with the game, it is quite similar to the ever so popular game known as Texas Holdem. There are however, some very important differences between Omaha and Texas Hold'em. If you are going to play Omaha, then it is crucial that you fully understand the game and the rules in detail. Without that understanding, you will make an endless amount of mistakes that will cost you a lot of money.
The best option is to play Omaha online for free for practice. That is where you will learn the most. The experience is extremely important. Don't sit down at a real money poker table and just hope for the best. There is no reason to not prepare. You are already taking the first step by reading the beginners guide to Omaha. There are rules, variations and much more that you must know before you dive in and start playing Omaha.
Rules of Omaha
If you have played Texas Hold’em before, then you should have no problem picking up on Omaha very quickly. The rules are very similar for both versions of poker. If you already know the basic rules of poker then you can skim over this part, but if not then we'll explain briefly.
Each player is dealt four hole cards, also known as pocket cards. These starting hands will be dealt face down for only the player to see. Throughout the hand, there will be an additional five community cards dealt in the middle of the table. Those cards can be used by all of the players. The idea is to take two out of your four hole cards and match them with three of the five community cards to make the best possible five card poker hand. Always remember that you MUST use two cards from your hand and three cards from the board in Omaha - which is the big difference between Omaha and Hold'em.
There are four total rounds of betting. The pot is built up and started with blinds. The player that is directly to the left of the dealer button will but in the small blind and the player that is to the left of the small blind will be forced to pay the big blind. From there, the player to the left of the big blind will be first to act. That position will have the option to call or fold, and the action will follow all the way back to the big blind.
One the betting goes around, the first three community cards will be dealt. Then once again, there will be another round of betting. The options are bet, call, raise or fold. The player to the left of the dealer button is always first to act after the first round of betting. Once this round is over, there is another card dealt to the community board. Then follows another round of betting. The same process will happen one more time, as the last card is dealt to the board and one more betting round takes place. At the end of the hand, each player will show down their cards. The player with the highest five card poker hand will take down the pot.
Omaha Variations
There are a few different variations of Omaha and they are as follows.
Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) - You are permitted to bet only as much as the pot. Pot Limit Omaha is the most popular variation of the game. See our Pot Limit Omaha introduction and PLO Strategy Tips for more information.
Fixed Limit Omaha - There is a fixed betting structure that must be followed. For example, if you are playing a $5-$10 Fixed Limit Omaha game - then you must stick within that structure when betting. During the first two rounds of betting players must bet only $5 and in the second two rounds players must bet only $10.
No Limit Omaha - Although fairly uncommon, No Limit Omaha is pretty straight forward. There is no limit to what you can bet. Whatever is in front of you can be bet at any time during the hand.
Omaha takes a lot of time and practice. If you are going to be successful, you must get some experience. It is just like anything else. Some of the greatest poker players in the world have been specializing in Omaha for years, but the good news is you can learn very quickly by playing Omaha online.