The Basics of Omaha Hold Em

Omaha is a poker game that is less popular than Texas Hold'em, but it's quickly becoming the new favorite for a lot of poker players.

Omaha is played much like Texas Hold'em; it just involves more cards and better odds of catching a good hand.

Players are dealt four cards face down to start. A round of betting and blinds occur, and three cards are flipped over on the table. Unlike Hold'em, Omaha requires that the player makes a hand out of two cards they are dealt and three of the ones on the table. After the flop, a round of betting occurs and another card is turned. Betting happens again after the turn and the final card is exposed. One more round of betting, then the players flip over the cards to determine the winner.

Obviously, a player can choose to fold when he or she feels necessary.

Since a player is dealt twice the cards in Omaha as he is in Hold'em, he gets more opportunities to catch a good hand. Odds play a much more significant role in Omaha because a player can potentially have many more outs with each new card. It doesn't always take a good hand to play because most of the time you can catch a good hand if given the chance.

Omaha also gives you the opportunity to play both a high or low hand. This way, even if you're dealt bad cards, you can still have an opportunity to win a portion of the pot. A player with a bad hand full of low cards can win half of a pot, as long as there are enough low cards on the table to make a proper low hand.

To qualify as a low hand, the highest of the five cards has to be eight or less. In the case of two low hands, the one with the lowest high card wins the pot. For instance, a 7653A will beat an 8653A. The cards cannot be paired and flushes don't count in a low hand.

It is possible to have both a high and a low hand. Someone with an AA2Q in their hand can possibly win a high and a low pot if an A7456 is on the table. They AAA76 could win the high with trip aces, and the A2456 could win the low.

Omaha gives a poker player a lot of opportunities to win money and is probably the most statistically beneficial of all poker games. If you're worried about losing money, then Omaha is probably the best game for you.

Chris Hohenstein is a semi-professional poker player and freelance writer. He has been playing poker for over 10 years and writing about poker for over 2 years.