Omaha Poker

Introduction
Omaha poker is a community card form of poker which in some ways is very similar to Texas Hold’em, but in other ways is very different. There are two variations of the game – Omaha Hold’em (otherwise just known as Omaha ) and Omaha Hi-Lo. We will be focusing on the Omaha Hold’em version of the game.

The rules of Omaha are very similar to Texas Hold’em and as usual, the object of the game is to finish with the best hand and to win the pot. With Omaha , you are required to have at least enough chips to place a blind bet and a bet and a player’s winning hand is made up of five cards – two pocket cards and three community cards.

The Sequence of Play

1. DEALER: The dealer is symbolized by a button placed in front of him and the pre-betting round begins. In Omaha poker, bettors do not have to ante for every round but blinds are used to open.



2. THE BLINDS: In order to start, two blind bets are posted. The player to the left of the dealer posts the small blind which is usually half of the minimum bet. The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind which is equal to the minimum bet.



3. THE DEAL: Every player is dealt four pocket cards face down, starting with the player who posted the small blind.



4. FIRST ROUND: The first round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind. The first bettor can fold, bet or raise and the betting proceeds around the table until it reaches the small blind. The player who posted the small blind can call the bet, and betting moves on the to the last player, the big blind. If no one has raised, the dealer asks if anyone would like to do so. In the first round, betting is capped at on bet and three raises per player.



5. THE FLOP: Three cards are dealt upwards and are placed in the middle of the table. These are the community cards which are used by all the players.



6. SECOND ROUND: The second round of betting begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer. Players are allowed to check, fold, call or raise.



7. THE TURN: At the end of the second betting round, the dealer burns one card and turns a fourth card face up in the middle of the table.



8. THIRD ROUND: The third round of betting takes place again starting with the first active player to the left of the dealer. In fixed limit games, betting moves to the upper stake.



9. THE RIVER: Following the third betting round, the dealer burns another card and turns a fifth and final card face up.



10. FOURTH ROUND: The final round of betting takes place. Betting remains at the upper stake.



11. THE SHOWDOWN: Players use two of their pocket cards and three of the community cards to create the best hand possible. The last player to bet or raise will show their cards first, and the rest of the players in a clockwise direction. The player with the best five hand combination wins the pot.

Rules for Omaha Poker

• Playing and betting procedures always take place in a clockwise direction.



• The two players seated to the left of the dealer post the small and big blind.



• The player immediately to the left of the dealer posts the small blind which is equal to half the lower betting limit.



• The player immediately to the left of the small blind posts the big blind and this is equal to the lower limit.



• Betting increments in the game are the determining factor in blind posting. In a $2/$4 game, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2.



• All bets in Omaha poker are considered active bets and therefore players can choose to check, fold, call or raise when it is their turn to act.



• During the first round of betting, players can choose to fold, bet or raise.



• Only one bet and three raises are allowed during the first round of betting.



• During the first round, players may not check because blinds are considered live bets, not antes.



• In the second to fourth rounds of betting, players may check, fold bet or raise.



• All bets must be in line with the game’s betting limits.



• There are four betting rounds in Omaha poker. During the first two rounds, each bet and raise is set for the lower limit of the stakes and during the last two rounds, the higher limit structure is used.



• Players are allowed up to four bets per round in Omaha poker: bet, raise, re-raise and cap. Cap is used to determine the third raise in a round of betting because betting is then capped and can’t be raised any more.



• In betting rounds where players have folded, the first active player seated to the left of the dealer is the next to act.



• In order to set a fair standard, all players entering the game of Omaha poker are required to post a bet equal to the big blind. All players can choose to sit out and wait for the big blind to move to their position and can then enter the round.

Tips for Playing Omaha Poker

1. Omaha poker presents a player with more starting combinations because each player is dealt four pocket cards. A player therefore has six times the number of starting combinations than in Texas Hold’em. Players should use this advantage, understand the different card options and make the best starting combination possible.



2. Players should play a few hands from an early position. This might mean that one will throw a few hands away, but it will save a player’s bankroll in the long run.



3. Players should play cleverly and be willing to fold if their first four cards do not suit up. It is better not to start with weak cards and rather wait for a better opportunity.



4. If one’s hand does not improve after the flop, or at least offer a strong draw in one or both directions, a player should fold.



5. The best basic strategy is to play low cards that have the potential of creating high hands, but to be selective and not to be afraid to play aggressively.

Omaha Poker Concepts
In order for a player to fully understand Omaha poker, there are some basic concepts that need defining:

• The Dealer / Dealer Button - Every poker game needs a dealer in order to determine where play starts and in what direction the game moves. Generally, the dealer rotates after every game in a clockwise direction, giving everyone a turn to be the dealer. The importance of the rotation means that all the players will have a turn to be first to act, to play the small or big blind, or the first to be dealt to. The dealer is traditionally represented by a button or disk placed in front of him.



• Stakes - The stakes are directly linked to the type of game selected. For a fixed limit game, the stakes determine the bet and raise amount for each round.



• Cap - In Omaha poker each round of betting consists of one bet and a maximum of three raises, known as the cap. For every bet made, it can only be raised three times, after which players are required to call or fold. If, however, only two players are left in the hand, the cap limit is increased to a maximum of five raises.



• Blinds - The blinds are the forced bets posted by two players at the start of every hand before the dealer hands out any cards. The player seated directly to the left of the dealer posts the small blind – half of the lower stake in a fixed limit game, and equal to the lower stake in pot/no limit games. The dealer seated left of the player posting the small blind, posts the big blind – equal to the small stake in fixed limit games and equal to the big stake in pot/no limit games. Blinds are generally used as an incentive to get players to play the hands and to build up the pot. Blinds can be seen as a compulsory bet and raise, and any player wanting to play the hand must match the big blind to remain in the game. Blinds are also considered live bets so that when action returns to the player who posted the blind, they have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding.

Conclusion
Omaha poker one of the community types of poker very similar to Texas Hold’em. Once a player has mastered the concepts and playing sequence of Omaha , it is quite simple to play. With the endless options to practice playing online for free at any of the thousands of online casinos on the internet, a player can be betting like a pro in no time.