How to play Omaha

Omaha is very similar to Texas Holdem. The biggest difference is that you get dealt 4 pocket cards and when it comes to showdown you use 2 of them and 3 of the community cards. Another difference is that it is almost impossible to find No limit Omaha games.

The game of Omaha starts with deciding dealer and when that is done big and small blinds are posted. When the blinds are posted all players get 4 cards and the first round of betting can start. Just as in Texas Hold’em you can choose to raise, fold or call and if there are no raises before the big blind he can choose to check. After the first round of betting the flop is dealt, the dealer places 3 cards face up on the table. These are community cards and can be used together with the pocket cards to form the best hand. After the flop another round of betting takes place.

When the second round of betting is finished the dealer places another, fourth card on the table. This is called the turn or the fourth street. Another round of betting takes place before the dealer places the fifth and last community card on the table. This card is called fifth street or river and after it is placed the last round of betting takes place. When the round of betting is done it is time for showdown. All remaining players make the best hand they can with 2 of their pocket cards and 3 of the community cards. Note that you can only use two pocket cards, no more, no less. This means that having 3 Queens in the pocket is worse than having 2 because you can’t use the third and it lessens the chance of one showing up in the community.