Omaha Rules

Just as Omaha poker is similar to Texas Hold`Em, the rules of the two poker games are very similar as well. The differences between the two are few but are very significant and are what makes each game unique.

The Omaha poker rules require that each player be dealt four cards instead of the two that is dealt in Texas Hold`Em. The cards are dealt to the players face down. The players must use the four cards and the five community cards to make the possible poker hand. The best hand must consist of two cards from the four hole cards and three cards from the community cards. The four cards that players receive at the start of the game are called ‘pocket cards’. Omaha poker can have a maximum of ten players at a table. After all the players have been dealt their cards the betting begins.

In Omaha hi-lo the player with the best five card high-hand wins half of the pot and the player with the lowest five card low-hand wins the other half of it. In case there is a tie between the players due to identical hands then the pot will be shared between the players with the best hand. In such instances both the high hand and the low hand shares of the pot will be split between the players with the best hands. If it happens that none of the players’ hands qualify for the low-hand then that share of the pot will be shared by best hand.

For a player’s hand to qualify as the low-hand half of the pot, the low-hand has to be 8-7-6-5-4 or lower. It is important to note that Ace plays as both high and low. There is a limit of three raise per round.

At a casino, Omaha poker rules states that where a dealer is not available then one of the players’ would deal the cards to the players. The person who deals will have a marker placed in front of him/her. The marker is called a button. The button will be moved clockwise as each game is completed. The general rule is that the card distribution starts to the left of the card dealer. Placing of bets also starts from the left of the person dealing the cards.

The betting procedure followed is that before the four hole cards are dealt the first person to the left of the dealer or the button has to bet $1 or half of the minimum bet. This bet is called the ‘small blind’. After this the subsequent players are required to place bets of $2 which is called ‘big blind’. After the bets are completed in this manner the players receive the four hole cards from the dealer. The player to the left of the dealer can now raise the big blind bet or fold his/her hand. All the players would have to do this. The players left in the contest after other players have folded reveal their hole cards. The player with the highest and the lowest hands share the pot.