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Omaha Holdem Poker - How to Play
Like Texas Holdem, Omaha (or Omaha hold 'em or Omaha holdem) is a community card poker game,
where each player is dealt four cards and must make his/her best hand using exactly two of these four,
plus exactly three of the five community cards. In North American casinos, the term "Omaha" can refer to
several poker games, with the original game commonly known as "Omaha High". A high-low split version is
also played, this is called "Omaha Hi-Lo", or sometimes "Omaha eight-or-better" or "Omaha/8".
The basic differences between Omaha and Texas hold 'em are these: first, each player is dealt four cards
to his private hand instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community cards are identical (see
texasholdem). At showdown, each player's hand is the best five-card hand he can make from exactly three
of the five cards on the board, plus exactly two of his own cards. Unlike Texas hold 'em, a player cannot
play four or five of the cards on the board with fewer than two of his own.
Examples:
Omaha Hi-Lo
In an Omaha high-low split game, each player makes a separate five-card high hand and five-card ace-to-
five low hand (eight-high or lower to qualify), and the pot is split between the high and low (which may be
the same player). To qualify for low, a player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower (this is why it is
called "eight-or-better", or simply "Omaha/8"). A few casinos play with a 9-low qualifier instead, but this is
rare. Each player can play any two of his four pocket cards to make his high hand, and any two of his four
hole cards to make his low hand. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins (scoops) the whole
pot.
To further explain this complexed game, please refer to the following table, which shows a five-card board
of community cards at the end of play, and lists for each player the initial private four-card hand dealt to
him or her, and the best five-card high hand and low hand each player can play on showdown:
In the example deal above, Jess wins the high-hand half of the pot with J-high straight, and Brian and Emily
split the low half (getting a quarter of the pot each) with 7-5-3-2-A.
Like Texas Holdem, Omaha (or Omaha hold 'em or Omaha holdem) is a community card poker game,
where each player is dealt four cards and must make his/her best hand using exactly two of these four,
plus exactly three of the five community cards. In North American casinos, the term "Omaha" can refer to
several poker games, with the original game commonly known as "Omaha High". A high-low split version is
also played, this is called "Omaha Hi-Lo", or sometimes "Omaha eight-or-better" or "Omaha/8".
The basic differences between Omaha and Texas hold 'em are these: first, each player is dealt four cards
to his private hand instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community cards are identical (see
texasholdem). At showdown, each player's hand is the best five-card hand he can make from exactly three
of the five cards on the board, plus exactly two of his own cards. Unlike Texas hold 'em, a player cannot
play four or five of the cards on the board with fewer than two of his own.
Examples:
- As in Texas hold 'em, three or more suited cards on the board makes a flush possible, but in Omaha
a player always needs two of that suit in his hand to play a flush. For example, with a board of K♠ 9♠
Q♠ Q♥ 5♠, a player with A♠ 2♥ 4♥ 5♣ cannot play a flush using his ace, he/she must play two cards
from his/her hand and three from the board, thus this player's best hand is two pair: Q♠ Q♥ 5♠ 5♣
A♠. However, a player with 2♠ 3♠ K♦ J♦ can play the spade flush, using three spades from the board
plus the two spades from the player's private hand.
- Two pair on the board does not make a full house for anyone with a single matching card. For
example, with a board of J♠ J♦ 9♦ 5♥ 9♣, a player with a private hand of A♠ 2♠ J♥ K♦ cannot play a
full house; he can only use his A-J to play J♠ J♥ J♦ A♠ 9♣, since he must play three of the board
cards. A player with 2♣ 5♣ 9♠ 10♠ can use his 9-5 to play the full house 9♠ 9♣ 9♦ 5♥ 5♣.
- The same goes with a three of a kind on the board. A player must have a pair in his hand to make
a full house. For example, with a board of J♠ J♦ A♦ J♥ K♣, a player with A♠ 2♠ 3♥ K♦ does not have
a full house, he/she only has three jacks with an ace-king kicker, and will lose to a player with only a
pair of deuces. This is probably the most frequently misread hand in Omaha. (Naturally, a person
with the fourth jack in his hand can make four jacks because any other card in his hand can act as
the fifth card, or "kicker").
Omaha Hi-Lo
In an Omaha high-low split game, each player makes a separate five-card high hand and five-card ace-to-
five low hand (eight-high or lower to qualify), and the pot is split between the high and low (which may be
the same player). To qualify for low, a player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower (this is why it is
called "eight-or-better", or simply "Omaha/8"). A few casinos play with a 9-low qualifier instead, but this is
rare. Each player can play any two of his four pocket cards to make his high hand, and any two of his four
hole cards to make his low hand. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins (scoops) the whole
pot.
To further explain this complexed game, please refer to the following table, which shows a five-card board
of community cards at the end of play, and lists for each player the initial private four-card hand dealt to
him or her, and the best five-card high hand and low hand each player can play on showdown:
In the example deal above, Jess wins the high-hand half of the pot with J-high straight, and Brian and Emily
split the low half (getting a quarter of the pot each) with 7-5-3-2-A.
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