Learn Omaha Poker - How To Play & Full Omaha Poker Guide

Omaha is gaining incredible popularity right now, so if you ever wanted to learn how to play Omaha, now is the time. Omaha Poker has been around for quite some time, having a strong presence in the World Series of Poker (WSOP), but never has it been so close to rivaling the favoritism of Texas Hold’em. Omaha poker is played in 99.9% of all land-based and online poker rooms.

When learning how to play Omaha, you’ll find that the game is extremely similar to Texas Hold’em. In fact, there are only two distinct variations in the rules. Instead of getting 2 Hole Cards, players are dealt 4, and there are strict guidelines to hand development. Players must use exactly 2 of their Hole Cards, combined with exactly 3 Community Cards, to develop the best possible hand.

Omaha is a poker game for 2 to 10 players, using a standard deck of 52 cards.

Object of Omaha Poker
The object of Omaha Poker is to use 2 Hole Cards and 3 Community Cards to develop the highest ranking 5-card poker hand possible – higher than that of your opponents’. The player with the highest ranking hand wins the entire pot. (See “Poker Hand Ranks” at the bottom of this page.)

How To Play Omaha Poker - Limits
Omaha can be played in all limits – Fixed Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit. As we get further into this tutorial on how to play Omaha, we’ll utilize a Fixed Limit betting structure, though all three limits are described for you below.

Fixed Limit: In a Fixed Limit game, the stakes determined exactly what amount a player can bet/raise throughout the hand. For example, with $2/$4 stakes, the bet/raise amount is fixed at $2 (the low-end stakes) during the first two rounds of betting, increasing to $4 (the high-end stakes) for the last two rounds of betting.

No Limit: In a No Limit game, the stakes determine the lowest a player can bet/raise throughout the hand. There is “No Limit” on the maximum amount that you can bet/raise. The size of your chip stack is the only limitation.

Pot Limit: Pot Limit is much like No Limit, where the stakes define the lowest possible amount that you can bet/raise throughout the hand. However, the maximum bet/raise is always equal to the current pot size. For example, if there is $15 in the pot, the maximum bet/raise is $15. As the pot grows, so does the maximum bet/raise.

How To Play Omaha Poker – Blind Bets
Omaha Poker forces Blind Bets before the cards are ever dealt. This ensures that there are always chips in the pot, encouraging players not to Fold before the Flop. There are two Blind Bets forced before the deal, the Small Blind and the Big Blind.

Small Blind: In a Fixed Limit game of Omaha, the Small Blind is equal to 50% of the low-end stakes. This bet is placed by the player left of the Dealer Button. As an example, stakes of $2/$4 would require a Small Blind of $1. (Note: No Limit and Pot Limit games force a Small Blind equal to the low-end stakes.)

Big Blind: In a Fixed Limit game of Omaha, the Big Blind is equal to the low-end stakes. This bet is placed by the player left of the Small Blind. As an example, stakes of $2/$4 would require a Big Blind of $2. (Note: No Limit and Pot Limit games force a Big Blind equal to the high-end stakes.)

How To Play Omaha Poker – Betting Options

Check: A player may Check so long as no bet has been placed in the current betting round. A Check is when a player declines to wager, but remains active in the hand.

Bet: The Bet is the first wager placed in a round of betting.

Call: A Call is made when a player wagers an amount equal to the previous Bet.

Raise: A Raise occurs when a player wagers a higher amount than the previous Bet.

Fold: To throw your cards in, surrendering the current hand and all chips in the pot.

All-In: An All-In bet is made when a player wagers all of their remaining chips. It is possible to push All-In even if you don’t have enough chips to cover the bet, though you may only win an amount from each player that is equal to the All-In Bet.

How To Play Omaha Poker – Walk-Through of a Hand
Please note that during this example hand of how to play Omaha, we will be using a Fixed Limit betting Structure with stakes of $2/$4.

A hand of Omaha begins with the placement of Blind Bets. Every player is then dealt 4 card face-down, called Hole Cards. These are private cards, not to be seen by anyone but the player they are dealt to.

First Betting Round: For this and the second round of betting, all bets/raises must match the low-end stakes of $2. Since the Small Blind and Big Blind have already been placed, the player left of the Big Blind will start the betting round by choosing to Call, Raise or Fold. This continues with each player in clockwise fashion. The Small Blind bettor will have the option of Folding or adding enough chips to his Small Blind to Call or Raise. The Big Blind has the same options, but if no player has Raised, he may Check instead of Calling, since his Big Blind would be equal to the current Bet. Once every player has chosen to Called (or Folded), the game resumes.

The Flop: 3 Community Cards are then dealt face-up to the center of the table. Community Cards are cards that all players will use, in combination with their own hole Cards, to develop the best possible 5-card poker hand.

Second Betting Round: This betting round is carried out in the same manner as the last, except that there are no forced bets. For the remainder of the hand, betting will start with the original Small Blind better, who may Check, Bet or Fold. Note that it is always pointless to Fold when a Check option is available.

The Turn: A 4th Community Card is dealt.

Third Betting Round: From here on out, all bets/rises now increase to meet the high-end stakes of $4.

The River: A 5th and final Community Card is dealt, giving each player a complete hand of 9 Cards (4 Hole Cards, 5 Community Cards).

Fourth Betting Round: The final round of betting commences same as the last.

The Showdown: If all other players Fold, revealing an instant winner, there is no need for a Showdown. Otherwise, all active players will now develop the best 5-card poker hand using exactly 2 Hole Cards and 3 Community Cards. The player with the highest ranking 5-card poker hand wins the pot. Should an exact tie occur, the pot is evenly split among the winners.