While Texas Hold’em has been the reigning poker variant for years, its community card cousin – Omaha Hold’em – has steadily been attracting its own loyal crowd of players and fans. No one really knows how the game got its name since it didn’t originate anywhere near Nebraska, so if you’re thinking that will offer some insight into how to win Omaha then think again. If you’ve never played any poker variant before then don’t panic – Omaha is a nice place to start. Players coming to the game from Texas Hold’em will find that while the Omaha poker rules are similar, trying to play the game with a Hold’em strategy is a quick and easy way to burn through your bankroll.
The Omaha Poker Rules
As we’ve already mentioned, Omaha is in the same poker family as Texas Hold’em. In other words, Omaha is a community card game. That means that some of the cards will be dealt directly to the players (the hole cards), and some cards will be dealt to the center of the table (board/community cards). As is implied by their name, community cards can be used by any and all of the players. The players will use a combination of their hole cards and the community cards to make the best possible five-card hand.
Per the Omaha poker rules, four hole cards will be dealt to each player and five community cards will be dealt to the board. Players must use exactly two of their hole cards and exactly three of the community cards to make their final five-card hand. Each Omaha hand is broken down into four dealing rounds which alternate with four betting rounds.
First, the players are dealt their four hole cards. This is followed by the initial round of betting. Next, three community cards are dealt to the center of the table. This dealing round is called the flop and is followed by another round of betting. A fourth card – called the turn – is then dealt to the table followed by another round of betting. The fifth and final card – called the river – is then dealt to the table followed by the last betting round. Any players remaining in the hand then proceed to the showdown where they will reveal their cards to determine the winner.