Omaha High is an extremely popular poker variation in the world mainly because the rules of the game are very much similar to Texas Holdem. This makes it easy for poker fans to switch to this poker variant.In addition, Omaha High is considered a fast paced action-filled game and players tend to stay in the hand until the end of the game. It is this exhilarating non-stop action which makes Omaha High an entertaining and ideal game for both professional players and beginners alike. You can play Omaha High in either Limit or Pot limit betting structures.

How to Play Omaha High

• Omaha High accommodates at least two players up to a maximum of ten players. The main purpose of the game is to ensure that you secure the maximum number of chips possible from your opponents.
• The two players positioned to the left hand side of the dealer are each required to put out the big blind and the small blind before the cards are dealt.  The value of the big blind is equal in size to the small betting limit and the small blind is equal to half the size of the big blind.
• When the blinds are set, the dealer can proceed with shuffling the cards and dealing the cards in a clockwise motion around the table starting with the player immediately to the left of the dealer at the small blind.
• Players receive a total of four cards. This is in sharp contrast to Texas Holdem where players are dealt two cards.
• Betting commences at the Preflopand only ends when each one of the players have been given the opportunity to take the appropriate action.
• Players who decide to fold will pay nothing into the prize pool and will have to discard their hand and wait for the following hand to be dealt.
• Players who decide to call will be required to place bets which are equal to the size of the big blind.
• Players who decide to raise will be required to raise the bet by an amount double the size of the big blind.
• The same betting options are available at the small blind, players can opt to fold, raise or call. The only difference lies in the amount of money which has to be placed into the pot.
• Once the preflop betting round is over the flop follows with one face down card or the burn card and the following three cards dealt face up.
• The next betting round is known as the turn where one card is dealt face down and another card face up.
• The River represents the final betting round and is made up of one card face up and one final face down card.
• When the river betting round is over, all the remaining players can participate in the final showdown. The pot is awarded to the player who holds the best hand at this final stage.

How to Evaluate an Omaha Poker Hand

• In Omaha, the player can make their best possible hand by making use of the three cards from the community cards and two cards in their hand.
• In Omaha, the card suit is not used to evaluate the strength of a hand.

Omaha Hi/Lo

Omaha Hi Lo is a popular poker variation which is a split pot version. Players receive a total of 4 cards (hole cards) and are required to make their best possible high poker hand and best possible low poker hand from the three community cards and the two cards in their hand. It is important to remember that each of the poker hands can be created independent of the other. At final showdown, the pot is split between the best possible high poker hand and the best possible low hand consisting of five different cards 8 or lower.

Posting Blinds

Before betting commences, players who are positioned at the dealer’s left hand side are required to post the small blind and the big blind respectively. Blinds are defined as a small portion of the players’ initial stack of chips. Once the blinds are posted, each of the participating players is dealt 4 face down cards.

Betting

There are two different betting structures in Omaha Hi-Lo. The first option is the Pot limit which allows players to place a bet which is equal to the value of the prize pot. The second option is the Fixed limit where the betting amounts available to players are already pre-determined.  Players have the option to  raise in any one of the betting rounds which allows opposing players to take appropriate action towards such a raise or bet. It is important to note that although no restrictions exist in the Pot-Limit version, the Fixed Limit Omaha Hi-Lo restricts players to a maximum of 4 raises for each round of betting.

The Flop

The flop follows the 1^st betting session with three community cards and thereafter the 2^nd betting session is initiated. The fourth and fifth community cards are dealt during the Turn and River session which brings the total number of betting rounds to 4. Players have the option to check and pass the move to the next players during the betting rounds.

The Showdown

When it comes to showdown, a successful low hand must show at least three cards of different values or card suit.( with a value of 8 or lower) In the absence of such a qualifying low hand, the player holding the biggest poker hand made up of 3 community cards and 2 hole cards wins the pot.If there is a low hand, the pot will be split between the lowest poker hand and the highest poker hand. Omaha Hi-Lo is considered as a very challenging game which can be highly rewarding as well, the flop percentage is one of the major differences between a losing player and a winning player.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]