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Whilst people most often first learn to play poker in the form of Texas Hold 'Em, increasing numbers are trying other forms of poker, especially Omaha.
This article explains the basics of how to play Omaha poker, describes the most popular varieties and gives some tips on how to be successful. It is geared towards players that are already familiar with other forms of poker, particularly Texas Hold 'Em.
If you are a complete newcomer to poker, we recommend starting with the in-depth article How to Play Poker, which explains everything you need to know in easy-to-understand terms. -
Tips
- Before playing for real, deal yourself a few hands, and practice working out your possible draws with those cards.
- Compared to Texas Hold 'Em, high pairs have much less value in Omaha.
- Omaha is a game of straights, flushes and full houses. Often more than one player will have such hands.
- Remember, you must always use exactly two of your hole cards to make a hand.
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Why Play Omaha?
Omaha can be an exciting game, and a profitable one too -- though not always both at the same time. It is less prone to luck than Texas Hold 'Em, and skillful players who understand the odds have a bigger edge in Omaha than they do in Texas Hold 'Em. Since many players in low limit games are inexperienced in Omaha, good players have opportunities to win more money with a lower degree of risk than they might in Hold 'Em. On other hand, higher stakes Omaha games can be fascinating contests between extremely skilled players. -
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Featured Video
How to Play Omaha Poker
A video demonstrating the most basic rules of Omaha poker. This is useful for quickly understanding the structure of the game ... read moreHow to Play Omaha Poker
A video demonstrating the most basic rules of Omaha poker. This is useful for quickly understanding the structure of the game but does not give any guidance on how to play well.
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The Steps of an Omaha Hand
A single hand of Omaha proceeds much like a hand of Texas Hold 'Em.
A dealer button rotates around the table between each hand.
The two players immediately after the button post a small blind bet, and a big big blind bet respectively.
Each player is dealt four private hole cards, face down.
After the players have examined their private cards, the first round of betting follows, and each player may have the option to call, raise, fold or check.
After the first round of betting is complete, three community cards, called "the flop", are dealt face up.
A second round of betting follows.
A fourth community card, the "turn" card, is dealt face up.
A third round of betting follows
A fifth and final community card, the "river", is dealt face up.
A final round of betting follows.
Any players that remain in the game show their hands, and the best hand is determined according to the standard poker hand rankings, and the pot is awarded accordingly.
A player makes a hand by combining any two of their hole cards with any three of the board cards.
If any of the above terminology is unfamiliar to you, please look at the How to Play Poker article, where it is all explained in detail. It's probably a good idea to leave learnig Omaha until you are fairly comfortable with playing Texas Hold 'Em. -
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Omaha versus Texas Hold 'Em
As you can see, Omaha poker is structured very similarly to Texas Hold 'Em, but the few differences in rules make a great difference in how the game is best played. The differences are:
- In Omaha, each player is dealt four private hole cards, as opposed to the two in Texas Hold 'Em
- In Omaha, a player must make their hand using exactly two of their private hole cards, and exactly three of the shared community cards on the board.
Having four hole cards means that a player has a much higher probability of being dealt a strong combination of cards, such as a pair, or suited cards. The probability of being dealt at least a pair in Texas Hold 'Em is under 6%, while in Omaha it is over 30%.
Combine this with the fact that there are more cards available to make a hand with, and it can be seen that Omaha hands are typically much stronger than Texas Hold 'Em hands. Since this applies equally to all the players, it generally takes very much stronger hands to win in Omaha, and Texas Hold 'Em players are at great risk of over-estimating the value of their hand, and playing too many hands. For this reason you'll often hear sayings like: "Omaha is a game of having the nuts".
The requirement to use exactly two of your hole cards can also mislead Hold'e Em players starting out at Omaha. For example if your hole cards are AKT3, ignoring suits, and the board is QJ743, you don't have a straight, because you may not use all three of your Ace, King and Ten to make a hand. -
Omaha Hi Lo
A very common form of Omaha is "Omaha Hi Lo", also often called "Omaha/8". In this version, the pot is split between the highest hand and the lowest hand, if there are qualifying low hands.
For a hand to qualify as low, its highest ranked card must be 8 or lower, hence the alternate name Omaha/8. In evaluating the value of low hands, flushes and straights are ignored, so the lowest possible low hand is A2345, with the Ace counting as a low card.
If two players make the same low hand, the low half of the pot is divided, a process known as "quartering".
The same player is permitted to make both a high hand, and a low hand, and they need not use the same two hole cards for both hands. An Ace may be used as both a high card and a low card. -
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How to Select Which Hands to Play
In all forms of poker, judging which hands to play and which hands to fold is one of the most important skills. In Omaha this is especially important. In a typical Omaha game, several players may be able to make very strong hands by Hold 'Em standards.
There are some general rules that are worth bearing in mind for Omaha hand selection.
1) Your hole cards should work together to give you many ways of drawing straights, flushes and better. For example, a hand containing AKQ with two of the cards suited will be able to make many different straights and flushes with a range of possible board cards. Whereas a hand like AK88 will have many fewer ways to hit a "nut" flush or straight. The Hold 'Em player is likely to seriously overestimate .the value of holding AK and having a pair to boot.
2) In Omaha Hi Lo, middle cards from 7-10 are weak, except in conjunction with at least two very strong supporting cards. For example a 9 could contribute to a flush, but a 9-high flush will not often win. So for a 9 to be of real value, it would need to be held in combination with higher ranked cards of the same suit, or cards that create possibilties of drawing a straight..
3) Position is important in Omaha as is it in Texas Hold 'Em, and you can play slightly weaker hands in later positions. -
Featured Video
The Best Starting Hands in Omaha Poker
A brief introduction to the very strongest hands you can be dealt in Omaha Hi. This is useful to illustrate so ... read moreThe Best Starting Hands in Omaha Poker
A brief introduction to the very strongest hands you can be dealt in Omaha Hi. This is useful to illustrate some of the principles of what makes a strong hand, although being dealt such strong hands is a relatively rare occurrence.
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Conclusion
This article has introduced you to Omaha poker, explained the key differences with Texas Hold 'Em, and given you some tips to get started playing with some success. As with all forms of poker, the game is fairly easily learned but takes a great deal of practice and study to play well.
Practice in play money or low limit games, and check out some of the resources listed below, and you will begin to understand and enjoy the game, and be on your way to becoming a good Omaha player. -
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