Have you ever wondered if every poker game developed after 7
Card Stud has to be named after a place? The most popular
current poker game is Texas holdem, and another popular version
is named after another place, Omaha.

How to Play – Omaha Rules Hand Rankings. Omaha holdem uses the same poker hand structure as most popular poker games like Texas holdem and 7 Card Stud. The highest hand is a royal flush, followed by a straight flush, four of a kind, etc. The following table shows the hand rankings in full. Omaha poker rules. Another factor to consider when it comes to Omaha rules when playing the most popular pot-limit Omaha version of the game is the pot-limit betting format, which is another way PLO can play differently than no-limit hold'em. Like in hold'em, the minimum bet allowed in Omaha is always the equivalent of the big blind. Pot-Limit Omaha Poker has been a popular game in Europe for years and due to it’s action enticing nature has captured the interest of online poker players worldwide, from beginners to pro’s like Patrick Antonius and Tom ‘durrr’ Dwan, who regularly clash heads up on the $500/$1000 Pot Limit tables on Full Tilt Poker (create a free account to watch these games). Omaha - Poker house rules. Initial Deal: 4 cards down to each player. Betting: After Initial deal betting round. Then after each card.

Though games aren’t as easily found as no limit Texas holdem,
Omaha can be more profitable for good players.

The first part of this page includes a complete run down of
the rules and how to play. If you’ve never played Omaha or
haven’t played for a while take a few minutes to read through
the rules before moving to the next section.

The rest of the page is filled with information to help you
learn how to be a winning Omaha poker player.

Please Note

This page covers Omaha holdem high only. See the
Omaha Hi Lo page for information about the split pot variant.

How to Play – Omaha Rules

Hand Rankings

Omaha holdem uses the same poker hand structure as most
popular poker games like Texas holdem and 7 Card Stud. The
highest hand is a royal flush, followed by a straight flush,
four of a kind, etc. The following table shows the hand rankings
in full.

Hand	Description	Example
High Card	A hand with no other combination. Valued by it’s highest ranked card.
Pair	Two cards of the same rank
2 Pair	Two pairs combined
3 of a Kind	Three cards of the same rank
Straight	Five consecutive cards
Flush	Five cards of the same suit
Full House	A pair and a three of a kind combined
4 of a Kind	Four cards of the same rank
Straight Flush	Five consecutive cards of the same suit
Royal Flush	A straight flush that runs from the 10 to the Ace

The Dealer Position

When a game starts from scratch each player is dealt one card
face up and the high card starts the game in the dealer
position. In a casino or poker room the house provides a dealer
who takes care of the cards, but a player is always designated
as the dealer for playing purposes.

If you join a game in progress the dealer has already been
chosen and is in play. Depending on the house rules, you may be
able to start playing right away, may have to place a bet equal
to the big blind to get started, or wait until your turn in the
big blind to start playing.

A white disc, called a button, is placed in front of the
player designated as the dealer. After each hand is completed
the dealer button is moved one player to the left.

Playing in the dealer position is the most advantageous
because you get to act last on every round except the first. The
dealer button also tells the actual dealer where to start
dealing. The first card is dealt to the first active player to
the left of the dealer button. Many poker players call the disc
the button and refer to playing last as being on the button.

The Blinds

The player to the immediate left of the button is the small
blind and the next player located to the left of the small blind
is the big blind.

The player in the big blind must place a forced wager equal
to the table specified requirement or the lower amount of the
two limits in a limit Omaha game. In a 20 / 40 limit game the
big blind is 20. The small blind places a forced bet that’s
usually half the amount of the big blind. Different tables have
different rules, so check with the dealer when you get ready to
play.

A pot limit or no limit game will have a designated amount
for both blinds. For example, a pot limit Omaha game with a
maximum buy in of $1,000 may have a big blind requirement of $10
and a small blind requirement of $5.

The blinds are in place to make every pot have something
worth fighting for. Games would have action if they didn’t have
blinds, but the action would be less than with the blinds.

Initial Deal

Omaha Poker Rules Full House Plans

Once the dealer button is set and the small and big blind
positions have made their forced wagers each player, starting
with the small blind and going around the table to the left,
receives four cards face down. The cards are dealt one at a time
around the table until the fourth card is dealt to the button.

The Betting

The first round of betting takes place now, and it’s known as
the preflop betting round. The first person to the left of the
big blind makes the first decision, and has three options.

Fold (throw away their cards)
Call (bet an amount equal to the big blind)
Raise (increase the size of the bet)

In a limit game the raise can only be the size of the lower
betting limit, which happens to be the same size as the big
blind. In the 20 / 40 game mentioned above, for example, to
raise in the first position to the left of the big bind you’d
place $40 in the pot. The reason you put $40 in the pot is
because your first $20 is the amount to call and the second $20
is the raise.

Top Tip

You should always announce you want to raise before
moving your chips forward to avoid any confusion. In most poker
rooms and casinos you aren’t allowed to push a bet forward and
then go back and get more chips to raise. You often see
Hollywood movies and television shows that show a player saying
they call and then raise. This is called a string bet and isn’t
tolerated in most games.

In a pot limit game if you want to raise you can raise any
amount from the amount it takes to call up to the amount of the
pot if it contained a call.

This can be a little confusing the first time you play, but
it’s really pretty simple.

Let’s continue using a 20 / 40 blind structure, so the small
blind puts in $10 and the big blind puts in $20 for a total pot
of $30. The house collects a rake of course, but forget about
the rake until you understand how raises work.

If you want to call it costs $20. If you want to raise the
lowest amount you can put in is $40. This is $20 for the call
and $20 for the raise.

The most you can raise is determined by figuring out how much
would be in the pot if you called. A call of $20 would make the
pot $50, so you can raise up to $50. To raise $50 you actually
place $70 in the pot. This is the $20 for your call and the $50
raise.

After each player takes action the next player to the left
folds, calls, or raises until each player at the table has
either folded or placed an amount equal to the highest wager of
the round into the pot. In an un-raised pot the small blind may
either fold, place enough with their forced bet to make a full
bet, or raise. The big blind may raise or check.

After the first betting round all of the oth