Omaha poker
Omaha Poker Here's how to play Omaha poker
If you are new to the game of poker and want to try a variant other than Texas Hold'em, Omaha Poker is a good option to try. Pot Limit Omaha is the second most played poker variant after Texas Hold'em.
Pot Limit Omaha resembles Texas Hold'em in most respects, except for the crucial fact that it involves four hole cards that are private to each player, rather than just two cards. After each community card is revealed, players must decide whether to check, bet, raise or fold to form the most valuable five-card hand that contains exactly two cards from the hand.
Visit our learn poker page for more information on the rules of poker. If you have read this article; then you can play Pot Limit Omaha.
Types of Omaha games
There are several types of Omaha poker. The two most popular Omaha games are Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha hi-lo. We will explain these variants to you.
- Omaha Hi: In this version, the highest hand of five cards wins the pot as it does in Texas Hold'em. The most commonly played format in Omaha Hi is Pot Limit Omaha. A player must use exactly two cards from his hand of four cards in combination with exactly three of the five community cards to form the best possible five-card combination.
- Omaha Hi-Lo: Omaha Hi-Lo is a split pot Omaha variation in which players try to make both a high and a low hand. The pot is split between the highest and lowest qualifying hands. The Hi hand is made in the same way as in Omaha Hi. the Lo hand is formed by forming the lowest possible combination with cards below 8. The best Lo hand thus becomes A-2-3-4-5. At the end of the hand, the player with the best Hi hand wins half the pot. The other half is won by the player with the best Lo hand. A good starting hand thus consists of four cards that can be either a good Hi or Lo hand. The goal is to win both the Hi and Lo hand in one hand.
Pot Limit Omaha game play
Omaha poker is the second most popular poker game behind Texas Hold'em and is best played with 2 to 10 players. The rules of Pot Limit Omaha and Texas Hold'em are similar and are as follows:
- One player is the dealer, with the small blind to the left of the button, and the big blind to the left of the small blind. The order of betting proceeds clockwise.
- Both the small blind and the big blind put money in the pot before the cards are dealt. Each player is then dealt four hole cards.
- Once the hole cards are dealt, the first round of betting begins with the player sitting to the left of the big blind. This player has the option to fold, call, or raise. In Pot Limit Omaha, the amount of the maximum raise is limited by the size of the pot.
- After each flipped community card (the Flop, Turn and River) a new round of betting takes place. Players must choose each round whether to bet, call, raise or fold.
- After the second round of betting on the flop, comes the turn, where another card is first turned and a fourth common card is revealed. The turn is followed by the third round of betting.
- After the turn comes the River. A card is turned one last time, after which the River is placed on the table as open. All community cards are now on the table, and after this is the final round of betting.
- After the action closes during the final betting round, the showdown follows. Players show their hands. The final hand in Pot Limit Omaha consists of exactly two hole cards and three community cards. The last raiser must show the cards first. If no action is made during the final betting round, the first player to the left of the button shows the cards first. The poker hands ranking in Pot Limit Omaha is the same as in Texas Hold'em
The Blinds
As in Texas Hold'em, in Pot Limit Omaha poker there must be forced bets, the Blinds. Pot Limit Omaha is often played without antes.
The blinds are two bets - one small and one big - that are made before the cards are dealt, and thus appropriately called Small Blind and Big Blind. The small blind is directly to the left of the dealer button. The big blind again sits directly to the left of the small blind. The blinds move clockwise around the table with the dealer button.
Both the small blind and the big blind form the starting pot against which all other players bet.
Betting Options for Players
During each round of betting, players must decide whether to fold, check, call, bet, or raise. Betting structures vary based on the type of Omaha Poker being played. The following variations are the most commonly played:
- Pot limit Omaha: In this variation, the maximum amount that can be wagered is equal to the sum of the chips in the pot. The minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind. There is a trick to determine how much a player is allowed to raise in Pot Limit Omaha. This is three times the last bet Plus the rest of the pot.When the small blind has bet 25, the big blind 50, and a player has raised to 150, the maximum raise is therefore 3 x 150 + 50 + 25. You may raise to 525 points at most.
- Fixed limit Omaha: In fixed limit Omaha, a pot can be raised up to four times and the bet or raise must equal the size of the blinds. Bets are made according to a predetermined structure; often one in which there is a small bet at the beginning of the hand and a big bet later in the hand. Omaha hi lo is often played in a Fixed Limit format.
- No limit Omaha: No limit Omaha is the most aggressive variation available. The minimum bet in no-limit is equal to the size of the big blind, but unlike in Pot Limit Omaha, players can bet or raise as much as they want and at any time during their turn.
Beginning of the game
Pre flop
A hand of Pot Limit Omaha begins as soon as a player receives his hole cards. He can play a hand by calling or raising the big blind. The first action begins to the left of the big blind. Once the big blind has decided to call, raise or fold, the action continues clockwise around the table. Betting continues until all players have placed equal bets in the pot or until 1 player remains.
Flop
After the first round of betting, the dealer turns over a card and the flop is dealt face-up on the table. The flop contains the first three community cards of the total of five cards dealt face-up on the table.
After the flop, there is a new round of betting that begins with the first player to the left of the dealer button.
During the game
Turn
Once the betting round on the flop is closed, and all remaining players have contributed an equal share to the pot, then the turn follows. The turn is the designation for the fourth community card. Action continues again with the first active player to the left of the dealer button.
For Pot Limit Omaha, the betting method does not change, but in a Fixed Limit format, betting is done from the turn and reraised to the size of a set Big Bet.
When the action on the turn is over, a final card is turned over, and the River appears face-up on the table. The River is the fifth and final community card in Pot Limit Omaha.
Again, the final round of betting begins clockwise to the left of the dealer button. If one player remains, that player wins the hand. If more players remain, a showdown ensues.
End of the gameÂ
Showdown
When the last round of betting is completed, the remaining active players must show their cards. The last person who bet or reraised must show their hand. If no bets are made during the final betting round, the player sitting clockwise first to the left of the button must show his hand first.
Once all hands are shown, the player with the best hand of five cards is called the winner. Remember that each player must use exactly two hole cards to make a hand. In the case of identical hands, the pot is divided equally between the players with the best hand.
SummaryÂ
A game of Pot Limit Omaha begins with the posting of blinds, after which all players receive four hole cards. Play continues with a series of betting rounds. After each round of betting, new cards are placed face-up on the table for each player to use to make their hand.
The goal is to make the strongest possible hand of exactly two hole cards and three community cards. The game ends when only one player remains during the betting rounds, or when one of the remaining players puts the best hand of five cards face-up on the table after the river.
House Rules for GGPoker
At GGPoker, you can play Pot Limit Omaha at our online tables. In a cash game, you can choose to wait to play until you have the big blind position, or you can pay a fee to play the next hand immediately. See our House Rules for an overview of all applicable rules for playing online poker at GGPoker.
