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Getting Tired of Hold’Em?
If you have been introduced to poker through the current poker craze, then
chances are that Texas Hold’Em is your game. There are many different
variations of the classic card betting game, though, and Omaha is one of
them.
Omaha is similar to Texas Hold’Em in many ways, with a few major
differences. Like Hold'Em, it's a community card game, with players sharing
the cards on the board. Unlike Hold'Em, each player is dealt 4 hole or down
cards, and must use exactly 2 cards from his/her hole cards and 3 from the
board to make a 5-card poker hand.
Omaha itself has its own variations, as it can also be played hi/lo, but the
following is an outline of the highest-hand-wins-it-all version, commonly
known as Omaha High.
The two players to the left of the dealer put out blind bets. The player
directly to the dealer's left puts out the small blind while the player two
to the dealer's left puts out the big blind. Every player is dealt
four cards, face down. These are called hole or ‘pocket’ cards. The first
move falls on the player to the left of the big blind. He can either call
the bet, raise it, or fold. Betting continues around the table, clockwise.
After the betting is completed, three cards are dealt face up in the center
of the table, which is referred to as the ‘board’. The first three cards are
called the flop. These cards are ‘community cards’ -everyone will use them
in combination with their own hole cards to make the best hand.
From the flop on, betting begins with the player to the dealer’s left, who
can check or bet.
A fourth card is dealt face up onto the board. This is called fourth street
or the turn card.
Another round of betting.
The final card is dealt face up. This card is also called fifth street or
the river.
A final round of betting occurs. The remaining players show their cards. To
make their final five-card hand, players must use two of their four hole
cards and three of the cards on the board. Players can use any two cards
from the hole and any three cards from the board, but it must be exactly 2
from the hole cards and 3 from the board to make the best 5-card hand.
The best starting hand in Omaha High is Ace-Ace-King-Queen double-suited.
Good starting hands in Omaha High contain: Suited aces, four-card connectors
(10-J-Q-K), two pairs as long as one is high.
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