Perhaps Omaha is one of the variants of poker that creates popularity among card game fanatics.  It is often called “Omaha High or Omaha Hi-lo”.  This is a game composed of 2 to 10 players with the objective of forming the 5 highest ranking card hands at the end of the betting round.  For beginners, here is the flow of the game which you can be familiarized with before you play the actual game.

Omaha Game Play

At the start of the game, cards are dealt by the dealer moving clockwise around the table.  The player at the left of the dealer offers the small blind, which is half of the minimum bet and the player next to him will place the big blind, which is equal to the minimum bet.  Minimum bet is usually $1 to $30.  During the beginning of the game, the blinds encourage more players to place the bet and have a starting capital for the pot.  The blinds are bets made before any card is revealed.

The game of Omaha usually starts with 4 cards dealt to each player.  These cards are called “Pocket cards or Hole cards” which are only for the eyes of the player holding them.  After the first 4 cards are distributed to all of the players, the first round of betting begins which usually starts from the player next to the one who placed the big blind.  By this time, a player can fold, raise, call, bet or re-raise but still within the limits of the game.  If the player either called or folded the last bet, then the round of betting ends.   The next step will be the flop.  This step is where three community cards are dealt face up at the center of the table, followed by a betting round.  Then the fourth community card is dealt face up followed again by the next betting.  The river, which is the final card, is dealt facing up followed by the last round of betting.

After the betting round, the remaining players revealed their cards and compare the best 5-card poker hands.  The player should combine 2 from their pocket cards and three from the community cards.  The player with highest-ranking hands wins the pot.  If in case, two players have the same ranking hands, then they will share the pot.  After the pot has been distributed, then the next dealer from the table will begin a new hand.

This is how the game is played.  It is very simple and easy to remember.  You don’t to memorize a book of rules to success in this game.  Just master the flow and you’ll be fine!