Omaha Poker

>> Omaha introduction

Omaha (also refered to as Omaha Hold'em) is a community card game, similar in style to Texas Hold'em, but each player receives four cards on the initial deal as opposed to two cards in Texas Hold'em. Unlike Texas Hold'em where you can use any combination of your pocket & community cards to make a hand, in Omaha you must use two (of your four) pocket cards with three (of the five) community cards.

>> How to play Omaha

The aim of the game is to match up your two cards with exactly three of the community cards to make the best possible hand:

Player's pocket cards	Community cards	The best hand is 3 of a kind (sevens). Note that the full house of 3x sevens & 2x sixes cannot be made because you can only use 2 of your pocket cards

Player's pocket cards	Community cards	The best hand is 3 of a kind (Queens). Note that the full house of 3x Queens & 2x nines cannot be made because you can only use 3 of the community cards

>> Structure of game

1. Blinds
The player to the left of the dealer must place a small blind (half minimum bet) and the next player to the left must place the big blind (minimum bet). After each game ends the dealer (indicated by the dealer's button) moves one place to the left. The reason blinds are compulsory is to ensure there's a pot to play for, it also forces anyone who wishes to play their hand to place a bet worth no less than the big blind.

2. Cards Dealt
Beginning with the person left of the dealer everyone recieves four face down cards, which are private and they will only (possibly) be revealed at the showdown.

3. 1st Betting Round
Based on their four cards players must then place their bets. Beginning with the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. On their turn players can:

Call (match the current bet)
Raise (increase the bet)
Fold (give up & forfeit any bets placed)

This continues all round the table until all the players who wish to stay in the game have the same bets on the table. There can be a maximum of 1 bet and 3 raises in each round of Texas Hold em betting.

4. The Flop (3 community cards)
After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck (this is called burning the card) and is done to help prevent cheating. The dealer then flips the next thee cards face up on the table. These cards are called "the flop" and are commumity cards which can be used by all players (note there will be 5 community cards at the end of the game).

5. 2nd Betting Round
The player to the left of the dealer (the button). Begins another round of betting, during this and all future rounds of betting, on their turn players can:

Check (if no one has raised, the player can keep their bet as it is)
Call
Raise
Fold

This continues all round the table until all the players who wish to stay in the game have the same bets on the table.

6. The Turn (4th community card)
The dealer burns another card and plays one more face up card onto the table called the "Turn" (also referred as "Fourth Street").

7. 3rd Betting Round
As in stage 5, but the minimum raise is now increased to the higher limit.

8. The River (5th community card)
The dealer burns another card and plays the final community card, the "River" (also referred as "Fifth Street").

9. Final Betting Round & Showdown
Players can now use any combination of seven cards, the five community cards and their 2 hole cards (known only to them) to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

The 4th and final round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer (using the higher minimum limit). After the final betting round, all players who remain in the game reveal their hands. The last person to bet or raise then shows their cards. The best hand wins the pot.

>> Get luckier at Omaha

Remember luck is a skill, and you'll find your luck improves when you take in some of the points below:

Need stronger hands over Texas Hold'em
Players often make the mistake of treating Omaha like Texas Hold'em and will gamble large on a high pair. Unfortunately with every player revieving 4 hole cards the strength of hands in Omaha need to be far stronger than the ones you would play in Texas Hold'em.

Play Aggressive
It's often better to go for the kill and raise when you have a strong initial hand in Omaha rather than playing slow. This is because of the amount of hole cards in Omaha, each player has a greater chance of drawing a good card with every passing round, so make them pay for every card.

Bluffing is risky
Bluffing in Omaha is quite risky compared with Texas hold'em as the players have more option with their hole cards to call you with.