How To Play Omaha Poker
Omaha may resemble Texas Hold’em in the fact that it is a game
played with five community cards but the game is quite
different. There are two variations of the game, Omaha High only
and Omaha Hi/Lo split. It can be played with the betting being a
structured Limit game or you can find No Limit and Pot Limit
games. I will use the Limit Omaha High game in the explanation
about how to play.The rules of the game are fairly easy to
learn. Limit Hold'em has structured betting, and the lowest
limit you will usually find in most casinos is a $2/$4. Other
limits you may find are 5/10 or 10/20 or higher. I will be using
the 32/4 game as an example in this book. That means the minimum
bet is three dollars during the first two rounds of betting and
the minimum bet is six dollars during the last two betting
rounds. These same limits are used when you raise as well.
The Dealer
Since the casino supplies a dealer one player must be the
designated dealer who will act last during the betting rounds. A
disk or "Button" is used to identify the dealer and this is
rotated to the left after each hand. Unlike stud, all the
players do not ante each round. Blind bets are posted to
generate a starting pot just the way that they are in Texas
Hold’em.
The Start
To start a new hand two "Blind" bets are put up or "Posted." The
player immediately to the left of the player with the dealer
button puts up or "posts" the small blind which is approximately
half the minimum bet. The small blind for the $2/4 game is one
dollar. The player to the left of the small blind posts the big
blind which is equal to the minimum bet which is three dollars
for this game. The rest of the players do not put up any money
to start the hand. Because the button rotates around the table,
each player will eventually act as the big blind, small blind
and dealer. It will cost you three dollars every time the deal
makes a complete rotation around the table.
The Opening
After the blinds are posted each player is dealt four cards face
down with the player on the small blind receiving the first card
and the player with the dealer button getting the last card. The
first betting round begins with the player to the left of the
big blind either putting in two dollars to "Call" the blind bet,
or putting in four dollars to "raise" the big blind or folding
his hand. The betting goes around the table in order until it
reaches the player who posted the small blind. That player can
call the bet by putting in one dollar since a dollar bet was
already posted. The last person to act is the big blind. If no
one has raised, the dealer will ask if they would like the
option. This means the big blind has the option to raise or just
"check."
The Flop
cards are dealt and turned face up in the
middle of the table. This is known as the "Flop." These are
community cards used by all the players. Another betting round
begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer
button. The minimum bet for this round is also three
dollars.When the betting round after the flop is completed, the
dealer burns another card and turns a fourth card face up in the
middle of the table. This is referred to as the "Turn." The
minimum bet after the turn is now six dollars and begins again
with the first active player to the left of the button.
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