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Omaha Basics
Many poker players say that if
you can play Texas Hold'em, you can play Omaha. While it is
very true that these two poker games have many things in
common, there are also a few fundamental differences between
the two. In this section we will show you the basics of
playing Omaha and the different variations of this very
popular poker game. The
main and most commonly played version of this game is played
as a split-pot game. The highest ranking hand shares the pot
with the lowest ranking hand. Because it is a high-low
split-pot game, you will tend to see more players staying in
the game, more action, and higher pots than Texas Hold'em.
Omaha is a nine card poker game.
Each player must make their best five-card poker hand by
using precisely two cards from their four private cards, and
three from the shared cards.
Game play
At the start of the game, each
player is dealt four cards face down. After this is done, a
round of betting will take place. During this round of
betting, players can either fold, call, or raise the blind
bet. Depending on where you play, a bet and (usually) up to
four raises per round can take place, but when there are
only two people vying for the pot, the amount of possible
raises becomes unlimited.
After the first round of betting
is finished, three shared cards are dealt to the board. This
is known as the flop. After these cards are revealed,
another round of betting takes place. From this round on,
players can check if no one else has bet when it comes their
turn to do so. If there is in fact no bet, a player can
check or bet. If there IS a bet, players have to either
fold, call, raise, or re-raise.
After that round of betting is
finished, a fourth shared card is dealt to the board. This
card is known as the turn. After this card is
revealed, another round of betting takes place. Then the
fifth and last shared card is dealt to the board. This card
is known as the river. After this card is revealed
the final round of betting takes place.
At this time, the best five-card
high poker hand and the best five-card low hand will split
the pot. However, to win the low hand the player must meet
the following requirements. The player must combine any two
unpaired cards with a rank of 8 or lower. Also, remember as
stated above, each player must make their best five-card
poker hand by using precisely two cards from their four
private cards, and three from the shared cards. |
