Omaha
Omaha is a popular poker variant, second only to Hold'em. Many new players have begun playing the game in recent years, perhaps looking for a new challenge, having already mastered Hold'em. The game itself is very similar to Hold'em, but requires an entirely different style of play.
Rules
Players are dealt four hole cards that only they can see. Similar to Hold'em, five community cards are dealt, available to all players. The key difference is that players must use three of the community cards and two of their hole cards to make the best five-card poker hand.
Omaha is played either as a limit game, where there is a fixed betting amount on each round, or as pot limit, where the maximum bet is the size of the pot.
Game Play
Game play in Omaha follows a clockwise route; the dealer button moving clockwise one place after each hand. The player to the left of the button posts the small blind, which is typically half a small bet (i.e. $1 in a $2-$4 limit game, and $2 in a $2-$4 Pot limit game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, equal to twice that of the small blind.
Each player is dealt four hole cards and the player immediately clockwise of the big blind acts first. They can either call, raise or fold. In limit Omaha, there is a maximum of three raises. In pot limit Omaha, there is no limit to the amount of raises players can make.
When the first round of betting is complete, the flop is dealt, consisting of three community cards. Another round of betting ensues, with the first active player to the left of the button acting first.
The turn card is then dealt and another round of betting begins. This time however, the maximum bet in a limit Omaha game increases to the big bet amount, i.e. $4 in a $2-$4 game.
The river card is then dealt and a final round of betting takes place. If more than one player is still in the hand at this point, there is a showdown, and the player with the best hand wins the pot. If two players have a hand of identical value, they split the pot.
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