OMAHA POKER RULES

Omaha is very similar to Texas Holdem in that the game basically works the same way. However, players are dealt two extra hole cards, which offers more options for making strong hands.

Omaha Goal

Just like in Texas Holdem, the goal in Omaha is to form the best possible five-card hand. But as mentioned before, players receive four hole cards (face-down cards that only you see) instead of two. Players must then use two of their hole cards along with three out of the five community cards (face-up cards that everybody can use) to form the best hand possible. Unlike Texas Holdem, Omaha players have to use two hole cards to form their hand. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot.

Betting Options

Omaha betting options are exactly the same as in Texas Holdem. Please see our Texas Holdem rules section to see the Omaha betting options.

Betting Rounds

Much like Texas Holdem, Omaha betting rounds work in the exact same way. If you want to know more about the betting rounds, please refer to our Texas Holdem rules section.

The Button (Dealer Position)

The button signifies the dealer position in Omaha despite the fact that none of the players actually deal cards in online poker. The button is considered to be the best position in an Omaha game because players in this position act last, and get to see what their opponents have done beforehand. After every hand, the button moves clockwise so that each player gets a chance to be on the button.

The Blinds

The player to the left of the button will receive their cards first; along with this, they must post the small blind (half the size of the big blind). The big blind player is to the small blinds immediate left, and they are forced to post a bet thats double the size of the small blind. In a $2/$4 game of Omaha, the small blind would post a $2 bet, and the big blind would post a $4 bet. The blinds are posted before cards are dealt, and the purpose of blinds is to ensure that betting action occurs in each hand; if everyone folds, the big blind wins both blinds. The blinds move clockwise one seat after every hand, and players must post blinds or be forced to sit out if they dont. At this point, they must post the big blind to re-enter the game.

Omaha Variations

Omaha is very similar to Texas Holdem in that it includes three variations based on the betting limits. Here is a look at each betting limit:

No-Limit - In No-Limit Omaha, there is no limit to how much money players can wager. This being the case, a player can bet all of their chips during a turn.

Pot-Limit - Players can only bet an equal amount to the pot size and their prospective call in Pot-Limit Omaha. For instance, if the pot size is $15 and the player needs to call $5 to stay in the hand ($20 total), they can make a maximum raise of $20.

Limit - Bets are capped in Limit Omaha. During the first two betting rounds, raises are limited to the size of the big blind; in the last two rounds, players can bet twice the size of the big blinds. The most bets a player can make in a Limit Omaha round is 4 (one bet and three raises).

Playing Omaha

First Round (Preflop) - Once the blinds are posted, four hole cards are dealt to every player. The hole cards are only for the individual player to look at, and nobody is supposed to see their opponents hole cards. Once players have looked at their hole cards, the first player to the left of the big blind decides if theyll call the big blind, raise or fold. Players cant check in the first betting round, and they must call or raise the big blind to stay in the hand. For example, in a $10/$20 game of Omaha, players must at least call the $20 big blind. Betting action continues clockwise around the table, and if someone raises at any point during the hand, other players must either call or re-raise the initial raise to keep playing. Assuming somebody bet $40 in the same $10/$20 game, everybody would need to call the $40 raise or re-raise this amount to stay in the hand. The amount that a player can raise or re-raise all depends on the Omaha variation.

Second Round (Flop) - The second round of betting begins when three community cards known as the flop are dealt. After the flop, the small blind starts off the betting action by either checking, raising or folding. The betting action continues clockwise around the table, and every player has the same options until/if somebody bets. Once a bet is made, players can either call, raise or fold.

Third Round (Turn) - The third round sees the fourth card dealt (turn), and players have the same betting options as the flop. However, instead of raises being made in increments of the small blind, the raise increments are now equal to the big blind. For example, in a $5/$10 No-Limit Omaha game, players must raise by at least $10; from there, they would raise to $20, $30, and so forth.

Fourth Round (River) - The river is the final community card thats dealt, and this also marks the fourth and final betting round. The betting is done in the exact same manner as with the turn.

Showdown - If two or more players are left in a hand after the river, the remaining players show their cards to see who has the best hand. The last person who bet or raised is required to show their hand first, and other players only have to show their hand if its better. Whoever has the top hand will win the pot, and pots are divided between players whose hands tie. For example, if two players have K-J-4-2 and the board is Ks-3h-6d-8c-9s, the players would tie with a pair of kings and a jack kicker. In No-Limit Omaha, betting rounds will be skipped when one player is all-in, and there are only two players in the hand.

Side Pot

If there are three or more players in a hand, and a short-stacked player (less chips than the other players) is all-in, a side pot is created. In this event, the two (or more) bigger stacks will continue playing the betting rounds while the short stacked-player waits to see the outcome of the hand. At showdown, the short-stacked player can only win the side pot if they have the best hand. For example, if Player 1 is all-in with 600 chips against Player 2 and Player 3 (1,800 chips total), they wouldnt get the entire 4,000-chip pot for winning. But if Player 1 had the best overall hand, they would win the 1,800-chip side pot, and Player B and Player C would see who won the remaining 2,200 chips.