A game with a lot of variants, Omaha is another very complex but fun game.

There is a big blind and a small blind, and the action starts from the right of the big blind. Every player is dealt four cards, and they have the option of calling, raising or folding.

Once this betting round is complete, the flop is dealt, which is three community cards. There is another round of betting, then another community card is dealt, which is known as the turn. After this round of betting we see one final community card, known as the river. There is one last round of betting, then players still in the hand turn over their cards and the best five card hand wins.

However, in Omaha, to make a winning hand, you can only use two of your hole cards, and must use 3 of the community cards. So for example, if we had these hands:

Steve: :ac: :ad: :kc: :5c:
Dan: :7c: :7d: :8d: :5h:

And the community cards were:

:qc: :10c: :7h: :4h: :2s:

Dan would win with three sevens, as Steve can only use two cards from his hand, thus can’t make a club flush.

Omaha is very popular as a pot limit game, as well as a limit game. In pot limit, you can bet the current amount of the pot. It also is very popular as a hi-lo variant, known as O8, as to get the low hand, you need an 8 qualifier. So in the hand shown above, this would actually be a split pot if it was hi/lo, as while Steve wins the High with his trip 7s, his low hand would be 87542, while Dans would be 754A2. Both would take 50% of the pot.

Required Reading: Hi/Lo Split Poker by Ray Zee is a great game for the Hi/Lo player, as is Winning Omaha/8 Poker by Lou Krieger. How Good is Your Pot Limit Omaha by Stewart Reuben is the premiere Omaha book.

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Additional Omaha Questions:

Where can USA-based poker players play Omaha?

If you are looking for some USA-friendly Omaha action, we recommend that you play at Carbon Poker.

In hi-lo poker (with no qualifer for low) what would be the winning low hand?

What hand would be the winning low hand with these two hands:

Hand #1: 10-9-4-3-2

Hand #2: 10-8-7-6-5

In hi-lo poker, with no qualifier, the winning low hand would be hand #2. It goes from left to right in that order – the first card both players have is the 10, so they are even there. However as the second card hand #1 has is a 9, and hand #2 is the 8, hand #2 is the winner.

Omaha Poker Basic Rules

Omaha is one of the most popular forms of poker available out there today, and with good reason. There are various games that come under the heading so that you can choose the one you want to play at any given time and never get bored. However, if you already know the basic rules of poker then you will not have any issues picking the rules for Omaha up immediately. They are very similar to the rules for Texas Hold’Em so read on to find out how to play!

Firstly, the player to the left of the dealer has to place a small blind with the individual immediately to the left of that putting up the big blind. These are effectively the first bets of the game and have to be placed before any cards are dealt. The amounts bet are set in advance and also set the tone of the game so as soon as they are in, the Omaha game can really get underway. The dealer then gives each player four cards face down, of which two will be used to make up the final hand shown. As soon as the last player has four cards, everyone else has to be an amount that is equal to or more than the big blind or choose to fold. Everyone remaining in has to match the highest bet.

As in Hold’Em poker, three community cards are then dealt face up. This is called the Flop. As three of the five community cards ultimately dealt have to be used to make up a hand, this will give players a better idea of the hand they will ultimately have. Following the Flop, all players can choose to fold, check or bet. If one player bets then everyone staying in has to match it. This round of betting is followed by the Turn, which is a fourth community card being dealt face up, and another round of betting that is the same as that after the Flop.

Finally, a fifth community card, or the River, is dealt and a last round of betting occurs. However, with the last round of betting, Omaha rules stipulate that you can call in addition to folding, checking and betting. Ultimately, the player with the best hand, which is composed of three community cards and two hole cards, wins the pot under Omaha rules. It really is that simple!

Playing omaha I’m dealt a-k-5-2 the flop is 2-2-2 the turn is a 6 and the river 8. What is my highest possible hand?

In Omaha, you have to use exactly 2 cards from your hand, and 3 cards from the board. In this instance, the 3 cards you have to use from the board are 222, while in your hand you would have to use A2. Therefore your hand is quad 4s(with an ace kicker, not that it matters) and you have the best possible hand, with no possible straight flush on the board.

If this was Omaha Hi/Lo, the best low hand you could have would mean you would have to have A3 in your hand, for 8632A. Unfortunately you don’t, however A5 is the 4th best low hand you could have there, behind A3, A4, and 34.

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