Omaha is a poker variant very similar to Texas Hold’em. There are different types of Omaha games, the most popular are pot-limit Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo. This game variant is very popular with online players, second only to Hold’em in preference but slowly gaining more preference.
Here we will describe pot-limit Omaha.
Rules
Omaha is a flop game that uses community cards. Players are dealt cards face down and use them in combination with 5 community cards to make the best possible combination, just like in Hold’em. Beginners should get acquainted with poker basics before playing Omaha.
The main difference with Hold’em is the number of cards dealt to the players. In Hold’em only 2 cards are dealt, in Omaha 4 cards are dealt. From those 4 cards players must select two to make the combination with the community cards.
The obligation to use two cards from their hand is also a major difference from Hold’em. In Hold’em, players can use their two cards, just one, or none to make the best possible combination with the community cards.
The hand rankings are the same as in Texas Hold’em: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high-card.
How to Play Omaha Poker
Beginners usually forget the rule of having to use two cards from their deck and not just one. So if you have A♥Q♣7♦6♦ and the board displays 9♥4♥2♣J♥Q♥ don’t think you have a royal flush, for that you need two hearts in your deck. You have a pair of queens. This is a weak hand as any player with two hearts wins the hand.
Betting is exactly as in Hold’em, with small, big blind and rotating button. There are four betting rounds: preflop, flop, turn, river. Players must call, raise or fold their hand if they don’t want to call bets.
Hand Values
Pot-limit Omaha is known as an action game since the range of hands is much wider than in Hold’em. Player’s aren’t dealt just a single two-card combination but six. In Hol’em having a high pair of three of a kind is a very strong hand, not in Omaha were flushes and straights are much more common.
It is also common for players to hold in their deck high pairs or three of a kind. In fact, knowing the best starting hands is key to being dominant in the game of Omaha.
Pot-limit Omaha
The other variation of the game is pot-limit Omaha. Here the minimum bet allowed is the equivalent of the big blind. For example, if the game is $2/$4 PLO, the minimum any player can bet is $4.
However, the limit is set by the pot size. Lets say the pot is $10, the first player can only bet $10. A second player bets $5, but then a third player wishes to “raise pot” making the maximum bet at $25. Pot size $15 + $10 bet = $25 new pot limit.
Even when acting first a player can bet higher than the established betting limit because of the preflop blinds. In a $1/$2 PLO game, the maximum bet after the blinds is $7. Small blind and big blind $5 + $2 max bet = $7 new pot limit.
The dealer is the person in charge of taking care of the math regarding bet limits. In online poker the calculations are done automatically.
Omaha Poker Tips
Position in Omaha is even more important than in Hold’em. By being last, you can follow the actions of opponents and better read the table. You can also control the size of the pot which is based on the strength of your hand.
Bluffing is trickier in Omaha than in Hold’em since any player can have crazy hands. It is common for players to bet big on the flop when they hold big draws.
Blockers are also more common here than in Hold’em. Blockers are cards that prevent an opponent from making a possible combination. So for example the community cards are K♠10♠5♥2♠4♦ and you hold the A♠, you might not have the royal flush but you know no one else does because you have the ace.
In general poker tips in Omaha tend to be very similar than with Hold’em poker.
