Omaha poker is a unique and complex game that, once mastered, is one of the most exciting and pot-intensive poker games there is. Consisting of similar play to
texas holdem, it mixes the game up in a couple simple ways that profoundly affect the overall
strategies a player needs. Not to mention that Omaha High has been gaining in popularity momentously lately, it is becoming many professional players game of choice. Turn on your TV and you can catch an Omaha game with Annie Duke, Amir Vahidi, or any other of the prominent poker players playing for very high stakes. With so much interest in this game, it's no wonder that so many people are looking into it and beginning to play it either at the casino or during their weekly
home game. Now, it is understood that many players who are interested in playing Omaha High come from playing Texas Holdem, and see the two games as being similar in their basic strategies and this is their major downfall. Despite the similarities, while playing Omaha High, one must drastically alter they way the manage their four cards, the way the watch the community cards, and the way they calculate theirs and others odds.
Omaha High Poker Rooms
To give any new players some basic background, here are the brief rules and order of play implemented in Omaha High. Players are each dealt 4 cards by the dealer. The
first round of betting then begins with each player choosing one of the following options: to bet (if no one else has yet), call a past bet, fold their hand, or raise a previous bet. The next round begins with the dealer burning one card and turning over 3 cards in the middle of the table. These cards, called community cards, and are meant to be used in conjunction with 2 cards from your face-down cards in order to complete a five card hand. Another betting round follows this. One more card is flipped up in the center,
called the turn card, and each player has their option to bet, call, raise, or fold once again. The final card, the river card, is dealt in the middle then by the dealer, and once again the players have a betting round. The rules are incredibly brief though, and in order to get the full grasp of the game, you can read our
Omaha High Rules article.
Now, without any basis in the
strategy behind the rules in Omaha High, a player can never win. This is especially true for players converting from Texas Holdem. In each the course of each game, it is each player's goal to win money, obviously. Now, to do this one can put into play a few different strategies. From the basic odd calculation and pot odds, a beginner can learn to win occasionally, but the true beauty of Omaha High is apparent when they put into effect the more complex and subtle strategies necessary. These include
bluffing, semi-bluffing,
slow playing,
gaining reads, and using
proper pre-flop and post-flop playing tips. While explaining even a fraction of these here would never work, you can check out either our Omaha High general strategy article, or our
Omaha High strategies page, which contains links to many articles explaining the different strategies needed in Omaha High.
As you can see, Omaha High is one of the most complex poker games gaining popularity today, but it is also one of the most exhilarating games as well. And, after some overview of the rules and strategies needed while playing it, any player can become a well-versed, successful Omaha High player in no time.