Omaha Hi Rules - Learn to Play Omaha HiCourtesy of FullTilt Poker Omaha Hi is a variant of hold'em that is becoming very popular, due mainly to its many hand combination possibilities. In Omaha Hi, each player starts with four hole cards instead of two. Playing Omaha HiEach hand of Omaha Hi starts with two blinds. Blinds are preliminary bets made by two players before cards are dealt for the purpose of stimulating action. If there was nothing to win, the first player to make a decision would have no reason to make a bet. Prior to cards being distributed, the player to the left of the button puts in chips equal to (usually) half the size of the minimum bet for the game. The player to that player's left puts in chips equal to the minimum bet for the game. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, the small blind would be $1 and the big blind $2. Sitting DownWhen you first sit down at a table, you must wait for the big blind to arrive at your position. This happens naturally, because the button moves one position to the left (clockwise) after each hand. Alternatively, to get dealt in immediately, you can post, that is, put in a blind the same size as the big blind. If you post, you get dealt in right away and on succeeding hands. Each player must put both a small blind and a big blind into the pot once each per round. If you ever miss the blinds in a round, you must either wait for the big blind to get to you, or post both missed blinds. This you do at one time. An amount equal to the size of the big blind is part of your bet. (It plays for you.) An amount equal to the size of the small blind becomes part of the pot and is not part of your bet. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, if you miss the blinds and do not wait for the big blind to get to you to get back into play, you would put $3 into the pot, of which $2 would be considered part of your bet when it is your turn to act on the first round, and $1 would belong to the pot-to be won by the eventual winner of the pot. First RoundWhen the blinds are in place, the dealer distributes four cards one at a time face down to each player, starting with the little blind. These four starting cards are called hole cards. Each player starts with four hole cards instead of two (In fact, some b&ms offer variants with five or even six hole cards, but you won't find those variants online.) Then the dealer places five cards face-up in the center of the table. These community cards are part of each player's hand, so each player has access to nine cards. Another difference between Omaha Hi and hold'em is that each player forms a five-card hand by using only two (no more, no less, but they can be any two) of his hole cards together with only three (no more, no less, but they can be any three) of the five community cards. Many more winning combinations are possible than in hold'em. Hold'em has just one two-card starting combination; Omaha Hi has six. For example, if your hole cards include three aces and there is one ace on the board, your best hand does not have four aces. If a pair also was on the board, your best hand would be a full house, aces full. If your fourth card was a king and the board was A Q J 10 9 of three different suits, your best hand would be an ace-high straight, the nuts for this particular flop. You make this hand by using the A K from your hand in combination with the Q J 10 on the board. (You might well split the pot, however. Anyone with K Q, K J, or K 10 among his hole cards would also have an ace-high straight.) Omaha Hi,as any form of poker, is about betting. Omaha Hi has four betting rounds. The sizes of the bets depend on the structure of the game, of which Omaha Hi has three possibilities:
The betting on the first round always starts with the player just to the left of the big blind. This position is sometimes called under the gun. As the first player, you have three choices. You can:
If you fold at any point, your cards are removed from play and you are out until the next hand, and you have no further interest in the pot. If you fold, the next player has the same choices. If everyone folds, including the small blind, the pot goes to the big blind, and the next hand is dealt. If you or anyone else opens, each succeeding player has three choices:
Each player in turn has the same three choices. If there has been a raise, each player who chooses to continue must either call the total bet thus far or himself raise. In any one round of betting, there can be a maximum of one bet plus three raises. When the betting (also called action) gets to the blinds, they have the same choices. However, they already have chips in the pot, and those chips count towards their bet. For example, if, in a $2/$4 limit game, you had opened for $2, and two players had raised, the total bet would be $6. When it was the turn of the small blind, that player could fold. The player could call, by putting $5 into the pot. (He already has $1 in.) Or that player could raise, by putting $7 into the pot. This would cap the betting for that round, that is, cause it to reach the maximum. (Pot limit and no limit games have no cap on the number of bets that can be made.) Similarly, the big blind, who already has $2 invested in the pot, gets in for $2 less. If there have been no raises when the bets gets to the big blind, that player has what is called the option. He can opt to raise, in which case each active player in turn is offered a choice of calling the raise or reraising-or folding. The big blind can also choose not to raise, which stops the betting for that round. The big blind in this option situation is known in poker parlance as a live blind.
The Flop
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