How to Start Playing Omaha Hold’em?
Everyone is familiar with Texas Hold’em poker and knows how to play it. But not everyone knows Omaha Hold’em poker. The game flow in Omaha is like Texas Hold’em, but the game is much more difficult.
If you know the rules of the game, you are welcome to sign up to one of the popular online poker platforms for Omaha Hold’em games such as GGPoker, Natural8 , 7XL or the surprising Betonline.
If you are not familiar with the game, keep reading our article and learn the basic rules of the game.
Poker Omaha Hold’em
Omaha poker game flow, all betting rounds, hand ranking, and positions at the table are pretty much the same as Texas Hold’em, but that doesn't mean that a good Texas Hold’em player will be a good Omaha Hold’em player.
Omaha Hold’em is a much more difficult game that requires a different strategy at every stage of the game. In Omaha, each player receives 4 pocket cards (in Texas Hold’em each player get 2 pocket cards only) and on the board 5 community cards are dealt (same as in texas Hold’em).
One of the important rules that make the game of Omaha very difficult is that each player must put together his strongest hand combination using 2 of his 4 pocket cards and 3 of the 5 community cards that are exposed to everyone. This means that the number of combinations of strong hands that all players can put together is much higher than in Texas Hold’em poker (See all poker hands rankings).
Positions, Blinds and Bets
Just like in Texas Hold’em game, in Omaha, all players sit in different positions around the table, we have the button, SB, BB, UTG, middle, and late positions, hijack and cutoff.
The players in the SB and BB positions are committed to first bets and the player in the UTG position makes action first. In cash games, the blinds are usually fixed and in tournaments, the blinds may vary according to the rules of the tournament.
Dealing Cards – First Round of Bets
After pocket cards are dealt to the players according to their positions at the table, the first betting round will begin (Pre-Flop) which will be started by the player in the UTG position (Under the Gun).
When all players have paid the blinds, bets or raises or folded, the dealer will reveal the flop.
Second Round of Betting – After the Flop Reveal
After the flop is revealed, the first player to the left of the dealer, (usually, the SB player, is the first, unless he folded) will begin the second round of betting. After all the players have finished the betting phase whether it's paying or betting or making a fold, the dealer will open the turn card.
Third Betting Round – After the Turn
After the turn is revealed, the first player to the dealer's left will start the third betting round again, and again after all the players have finished this betting phase, the dealer will open the river card.
Fourth Betting Round – After the River
After the river has been revealed, the first player to the left of the dealer will again start the fourth betting round which is the last one. At the end of this betting round the players will reveal their cards (Showdown) and the winner will be revealed. The player who put together the strongest hand combination by using 2 of his 4 pocket cards and 3 cards out of the 5 community cards will win.
Example
The SB player received in his four pocket cards – a pair of Queens with 7 and 8 of spades and as you can see, the pair of Queens that was dominant before the flop was not a part of the strongest hand combination, but the 7, 8 cards with the community cards gave the player Straight.
The BB player received his four pocket cards – Ace of clubs, King of hearts, with a pair of 10s, premium cards without a doubt. But we see that even though an Ace hit the flop, and even though he held a King of hearts, he couldn't use it to get flush because it was the only hearts suit card he had. So, the best hand combination for the BB player is with the pair of 10 which gives him a set.
The UTG player received his four pocket cards – King of spades, Queen of clubs with 2 of diamonds, and 7 of hearts. The UTG player held only a single heart suited card, and therefore he could not use it to get flush. So, the best hand combination for the UTG, is with the King and Queen together with the community cards he had Straight.
The player in the last position received his four pocket cards 2, 3 of hearts with 5, 8 of clubs, and because, he is the only player who held two cards suited hearts, he got the strongest hand combination in this round – Flush, and he won all the chips.
In this example, we can see one of the significant differences between Omaha and Texas Hold’em. While in Texas Hold’em, the river card that came, completes 4 suited hearts cards on the board, making the BB player who had the King of hearts with flush nuts, and the player who held 2 and 3 suited hearts with a weaker hand.
In Omaha, to hold a winning hand, you have to use 2 out 4 pockets cards you got, therefore, the player who held 2 and 3 suited hearts won.
Different Versions of Omaha Hold’em Poker
The Omaha Hold’em game has a few different versions that make the game even more difficult.
Omaha – Hi-Lo – In this version, the players compete to put together the strongest hand in the ranking of hands and at the same time the weakest hand. In each round, there are two winners, and the pot is divided between them both.
Omaha Pot Limit – PLO – In this version, players are limited in the amount of bets they can make each round (As opposed to no-limit games where there is no limit).
How do you calculate the amount of the bet? For example, in a game where the blinds are $50-$100, we already start with a pot of $150 with the SB, and BB bets. The UTG player who wants to make a bet – Pot Raise will first pay the amount of the blind, which is $100 (the pot will be now $250), and then add another $250 which will put the pot at an amount of $500 to the next player who wants to make a bet.
Where can you play Omaha Hold’em poker online?
Online poker games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha are available to everyone on various applications. You can play online at 7XL, Natural8 ,GGPoker, and Betonline apps.
How to Find the Omaha Hold’em Games in 7XL Poker?
If you have not yet registered for 7XL poker, click here for quick registration. If you are already registered, for cash games, click on the PLO button in the main menu (Marked by the red arrow) and search for the cash game that suits you according to the height of the blinds.
VIP Games
If you are looking for VIP games, click on the VIP Games button in the menu (marked by the red arrow). VIP games are not suitable for everyone (the buy in for to these tables are very high). Under the column of Buy, you will see the amount of dollars recommended to enter the table. In the column of Players, each gold cube marks a player and if there are 6 cubes then the table is full and there is a waiting list, if there are less than 6 then there are seats available for more players.
Play Responsibly!
In the Omaha VIP Games table with 4 players playing, the average amount each player has is over $45,000.
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