Poker Rules:Omaha

Omaha is another popular poker game offered by the online poker rooms. Omaha is a form of Texas Hold'em, and so the rules of Omaha are very similar to Texas Hold'em rules. Like Texas Hold'em, the game is commonly played at a 9 or 10-handed table, and the betting and blinds structures are exactly the same. So what's the difference? Each player starts with FOUR hole cards instead of two!

So, pre-flop, each player is dealt 4 cards face-down, and must then decide to call the bet and play their cards. Just like Texas Hold'em, the dealer then places five cards face-up in the center of the table - first the flop which is 3 cards, round of betting, the turn card, round of betting, and the river card, and the final round of betting. Like Texas Hold'em, these community cards are part of each player's hand.

The next major difference in the rules between Omaha and Texas Hold'em is that each player forms a five-card hand by using only two and exactly two of his four hole cards together with only three and exactly three of the five community cards. Many more winning combinations are possible than in Texas Hold'em as you can guess.

Even though Omaha's rules are very similar to Texas Hold'em rules, the strategies are completely different. Just because you can play Texas Hold'em with the big boys, does not mean you can instantly transition that game to Omaha. If you're dealt a 4-of-a-kind in Omaha, it's a bad thing! You can only use two of those four cards, and you will not be able to make trips with them!

Omaha, like Texas Hold'em and 7 Card Stud, is a common game among the online poker rooms. And its variant, Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better, is also a common online poker game offered by most if not all the online poker rooms for free or real money.