Omaha Poker

Omaha poker – what a game. From the moment you’re dealt the four cards your brain whirls with excitement and you can hear the cash start to jingle (perhaps rustle if you’re playing high stakes). But hold on, hold on let’s start from the beginning:

Dealing:

1. The dealer is chosen by drawing the highest card.
2. Each player is dealt four private cards, known as pocket cards.
3. A round of betting takes place – explained below.
4. The Flop – three communal (face up) cards are dealt followed by another round of betting.
5. The Turn – a single card is dealt face up followed by, guess what, another round of betting
6. The River – The last card to be dealt. Followed by a final round of betting and, if necessary, the showdown.

Unlike Texas Hold’em where you can use any arrangement of pocket and communal cards to make up your hand, in Omaha poker you must use two of your pocket cards and three communal cards. As is usual in poker games, the highest hand gets all the money. If there are two or more equally ranked hands at a showdown, the stash of cash is divided up between the winners.

Betting:

To make sure there is at least some dosh to win each round, bets are placed before any cards are dealt. This can be done through blinds or antes.

Blinds – A set sum that is placed by the two players left of the dealer. The player closet to the dealer bets the small blind, the player next to him bets the big blind. The amount is set on each table and the small blind is half the size of the big blind. Often, the big blind will be the same amount as a limit – which is explained bellow.

Blinds are considered bets, so if no one has raised beforehand, the player whose turn it was to place the big blind may check, even in during the first round of betting.

Antes – A set sum that every player has to bet in order to play in the round.

After the pocket cards are dealt, the player sitting to the left of the big blind opens the betting. Each player then takes turns betting, moving clockwise around the table. (When antes are placed, the person sitting left of the dealer opens the betting).

Limits:

• The number of times a bet may be raised may be limited (typically three times in online Omaha poker).
• The minimum bet is often equal to the big blind.
• Set Limits – a game where the first two rounds a low bet is and afterwards a high bet is set. For example: $4/$8 – the bet is set to $4 until the flop, after the flop the bet is set to $8.

Today, with the popularity of poker, it is possible to find online, real money games with a huge range of limits and, should you so desire, no limit games and tournaments are also around.