Omaha Holdem Rules

Omaha Hold’em is a poker game similar to Texas Hold’em; the biggest difference is that players have nine cards to use rather than seven cards.  In Omaha Hold’em Poker a player must use two of hole cards and three of the community cards to make their best five card hand.  This is unlike Texas Hold’em Poker where there are no restrictions on the cards you can use, indeed a player can use all five community cards, and this difference is the most common mistake players used to Texas Hold’em make when starting to play Omaha Hold’em.

Here’s how to play a game of Omaha Hold’em:

• Like in Hold ‘Em, the player directly to the left of the dealer must post a Small Blind. The player to the left of this player will put in double the amount, or the full blind. Any other player who wants to play the hand must match the big blind at least.
• After the two blinds are posted, four cards are dealt to each player.
• A round of betting occurs. The player to the left of the player who placed the larger blind begins the round.
• After the first betting round, the dealer puts three community cards in the middle that can be used by any player. Like in Hold ‘Em, this is referred to as the flop.
• Another round of betting occurs.
• A fourth community card, known as the turn, is dealt in the middle of the table.
• More betting occurs.
• A final community card, known as the river, is put onto the table by the dealer. All the cards for the hand has been dealt now.
• One more round of betting occurs.

As with any game of poker, a player plays the best five card hand to try to win the pot. As mentioned before, these hands can be made by using two cards, exactly two, from a player’s individual hand and three from the community pot. The best hand will win the pot and the money at the end of the hand.