Omaha Poker Rules

Omaha Hi or Omaha Poker is a favorite among many poker enthusiasts because there is always plenty of action. Its more popular cousin Texas Hold’em is far simpler but do not let this scare you away from giving the game of Omaha a try because after reading this Omaha Poker rules article you will completely understand what this poker variant is about as well as how to play it.

There are two Omaha poker variations; Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi-Lo. This page will focus on the Omaha Hi poker variant. Although both Omaha variations are fairly similar, the major difference between how the games are played is that in Omaha Hi the winner of the pot is determined by the player who holds the highest hand as per the standard poker hand ranking rules.

Buttons and blinds

At the start of each game, the dealer’s button in Omaha poker is moved to the next player in a clockwise direction to indicate the position of the dealer

Directly to the left of the button are the “small blind” and “big blind”, which must be posted before the start of each hand. The size of the blinds is pre-determined by the betting limit and stakes being played.

Pot limit and no limit Omaha poker games are referred to by the size of the blinds. So in a $5/$10 Omaha pot limit game, the big blind would be $10 and the small blind would be $5.

This is different to limit Omaha poker games where the big blind is equal to the small bet. For example, in a $2/$4 Limit Omaha game the big blind would be $2 and the small blind would be $1.

The first round of Omaha Hi

Four cards are dealt to each player that only they can see, and there is a pre-flop betting round. Each player starting with the player in the “under the gun” position (directly to the left of the big blind) has the option to either call, raise, or fold their hands. If calling, the player must place his or her bets equal to the amount of the big blind.

The flop

On completion of the pre-flop betting round, the “flop” of three community cards is dealt. These cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. Betting starts with the active player to the left of the dealer, which would be the small blind if he or she is still in the hand, and the same applies for all future betting rounds. On the flop, players can also “check” their hand if none of the players in the same betting round have made a bet. The round of betting ends on the flop when all bets have been called, then the next community card, called the turn, is dealt.

The turn

Another round of betting takes place, and betting is exactly the same as it was on the flop. The round of betting ends on the turn when all bets have been called, then the last community card, called the river, is dealt.

The river

The final round of betting takes place, and betting is exactly the same on the flop and turn. The round of betting ends on the river when all bets have been called, then there is a showdown to determine the winner of the hand.

The showdown

The active players still left in the hand compare their hands to decide who has the best five-card poker hand. Players get to use any combination of two hole cards and three community cards on the board for the high hand. After the winner has determined, a new Omaha Hi game begins.

Standard Rules Of Omaha Hi

Omaha high poker is the easier of the two variations of Omaha to learn since it’s not a split pot game. It is played in the exact same manner as Texas Hold’em where the winner of the hand is the person who is holding the highest ranked hand. But instead of getting 2 hole cards, players are dealt 4, so there are more hand combinations and ways to make a hand.

In Fixed Limit Omaha Hi, all bets/raises are in increments of the small bet for the first two rounds. For example, $1 in a $1/$2 game, then bets/raises double in increments of the big bet in the final two rounds of betting. There is a “four bet” cap on each round of betting.

Pot Limit Omaha Hi games have no structured betting limit and there is no cap on the number of bets/raises allowed, so all bets/raises can always be up to the size of the pot. In No Limit Omaha Hi, players can bet their entire stack at any time.

Now that you know the rules of Omaha Poker, you can jump straight into a poker game.