There are several different Omaha Poker Rules. There are two general types of rules and three general types of betting. You can read either Omaha Poker Rules or High Low Omaha Poker Rules. If you want to learn Hi/Lo Omaha you should read both sections. Betting structure can be either Structured, Pot Limit or No Limit.
Omaha Poker is another community card poker game. This means that several cards are shared by everyone, with each player having cards to improve on the community cards. If you already know Texas Holdem Rules then Omaha Poker is not a lot different. All the action is the same, just the number of cards are different.
The first and most important rule to remember as a beginner Omaha player is that you MUST and can ONLY use TWO cards in your hand. And you MUST and can ONLY use three cards from the community cards.
The construction of a Omaha game are as follows. There is a button that represents the “dealer” the person clockwise from the button is the first to act. They are also responsible for putting up a small blind (SB) before the cards are dealt. The next player clockwise from the Small Blind (SB) is the Big Blind (BB). In general the small blind is usually half of the big blind, or rounded off to the nearest common chip in the game. For example in a 15-30 game, the basic chip is usually the $5 chip. The big blind would be $15 and the small blind would be either $5 or $10. Where chips are not used it is sometimes $7.50 (online). The size of the Big blind determines the average size of the pot and amount of money you need to play. In limit games it would be the size of the smaller minimum bet. These two bets are called blinds because you have to put in the bets blind, without seeing your cards.
The purpose of the blinds are two fold. First it acts as an ante, which builds a small pot. Instead of everyone putting in a small ante every hand, two players take turns each hand. The second reason for the BB is that is starts the betting action. Anyone who wants to continue playing must call the Big Blind Bet.
The dealer will start by giving the first card to the person clockwise from the button, SB. Each player is dealt 4 cards face down. Now since the SB and BB have already acted before the cards were dealt the person clockwise from the BB is first to act. They may either call the BB or they can Raise. Each player acts in turn going clockwise making sure to either call or raise the amount bet to their right. Once all players have either folded or matched the highest you move on to the flop.
In Omaha Poker the “Flop” is the first three community cards that are dealt out at once. The betting action starts again clockwise from the button. The first player may either Check or bet. Checking means that they don’t want to make a bet and since there is no bet to call, they don’t need to fold. Checking is the same as passing. Once there is a bet players must either fold their hand, Call the Bet, or Raise. Once the action is all complete the dealer deals a fourth community card
The fourth card is called the Turn. The action starts again and is completed in a clockwise rotation.
The Fifth card is called the River. The river is the last community card dealt and players now need to determine the final strength of their hand. The betting action goes one final round. If there is a called bet or no bet at all, the last person to make a bet must first show their hand. If any player has a better hand they show next. The best hand is determined by the best three cards from the flop and the best two in your hand of 4. Remember that you MUST use exactly two cards from your 4 and exactly 3 from the community cards. If there is a flush on the five community cards then you only have a flush if you also have two cards of that suit.
The best Omaha poker hand wins the pot. If you are looking for Poker Hand Ranking there is another post that talks about that.
Structured Omaha rules say that you predetermine the amount you may bet during each round of betting. Omaha had four rounds of bets, the first two betting rounds are usually half the second two rounds. For example, a 5-10 game would mean that the BB would be $5 all bets and raises must be in increments of $5 for the first two rounds of bets. $5 bet, $5 raise, $5 reraise would be a total of $15, but no player may make a $15 bet. On the Turn and River everything is in increments of $10.
Pot Limit Omaha rules say that any player may bet the min of the BB up to the total value of all the money in the pot. For example; if the SB is 5, the BB is 10 one person has called the 10 and you want to raise the max. First you must call the $10 bet then you find out the total size of the pot. Which is $35. You may raise the pot $35 but it will cost you a total of $10 (call) + $35 (raise). Anyone else may then raise $105 more, (5 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 35 + 35 (your call)) = 105.
No Limit Omaha Rules state that any player may bet any amount up to the amount of money they have on the table. You cant go into your pocket during the hand. Another player may call with less chips but only the amount up to the smaller stack will go into the pot. No Limit Holdem is the most common structure of betting that you see on TV so most people will have the general idea.
If you have any problems with understanding these Omaha poker rules please let me know so that I can clarify them for the next person and answer any questions. You can also read more about Omaha in the Omaha hi lo Poker rules.
If you are looking for Texas Holdem Rules, Seven Card Stud Rules or Poker Hand Ranking click the links. New game rules will be posted in the right column.