How to Play Omaha

Ever wish you had a couple extra hole cards to choose from when playing Texas Hold'em? If so, hit up an Omaha poker table because you get more selection and bigger pots with this popular Texas Hold'em variant.  

When playing Omaha, you'll be dealt four hole cards at the beginning of each hand. You'll use two of the hole cards in combination with any three community cards to make a five-card hand. The hands follow the samestandard rankings as Texas Hold'em.

Omaha Stakes
Now that you've got a basic understanding of how to play Omaha, take a look at the stakes to find a game that fits your betting style.

Fixed Limit: Bets are restricted to pre-determined amounts in fixed limit Omaha. If you're playing $2/$4 Fixed Limit Omaha, you can place $2 bets on the pre-flop and flop, and $4 bets on the turn and river.

Pot Limit: You can't bet more than the total pot amount in pot limit Omaha. The total pot amount includes the amount of active bets on the table.

No Limit: As the name suggests, you can bet as much as you want in no limit Omaha poker. Got a killer hand? Go all in like a champ.

 

Pre-Flop Action
Each player is dealt four hole cards, and the player to the left of the dealer must post the small blind (a mandatory contribution to the pot). The next player must post the big blind. The following players must either call (by matching the big blind), fold, or raise.

 

Post-Flop Action
After the initial round of betting finishes, the dealer reveals three community cards (aka the flop). These cards are shared by all players. The player to the left of the dealer initiates the action by choosing to check, raise, or fold. The following players must either call, re-raise or fold.

The turn is the fourth community card revealed by the dealer. This prompts a new round of action, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. In fixed limit Omaha, betting amounts increase at this stage.

The final card, called the river, is revealed after all betting has been completed with the turn. This prompts the final round of action.

 

Showdown
The showdown takes place when all betting rounds are complete and two or more players go for the pot. The last player to raise or call in the final hand is the first to flip over their cards. If the remaining active players have a losing hand, they can choose to not show their cards by simply mucking them. Players' hands must be comprised of two hole cards and three community cards; whoever has the highest five-card hand wins the pot.

 

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