Omaha poker is a derivative variant of Texas Holdem. Each of the players in an Omaha poker game is dealt 4 hole cards or private cards and such cards exclusively belong to the player that receives them. In addition to the 4 hole cards, there are also 5 community cards that are dealt face-up on what is referred to in poker parlance as the board. One of the basic rules in Omaha poker that differentiates it from Texas Holdem is the requirement for players to use 2 of them and exactly 3 of the 5 community cards on the board.

Key Differences between Omaha Poker and Texas Holdem Poker

Omaha poker adopts several rules that are also applied in Texas Holdem, although there are few distinct differences between the 2 poker game variants. A game of Omaha begins with the players being dealt 4 cards each facing down, in contrast to Holdem where 2 cards are involved. A player uses the 4 cards that are dealt to them face down and the 5 community cards that are dealt in order for them to come up with the strongest poker hand that can be possibly formed from such cards.

It is important to note that one of the key differences between Holdem and Omaha poker is the manner by which the best hands are formed. When it comes to Holdem poker, a player uses any of the possible combinations involving the 2 face-down cards or private cards and the 5 community cards in order to come up with the best hand. As options, a player may use a card from their hand and combine the card with 4 cards from the board, 2 cards from the player’s hand can be combined with 3 cards from the board, or play all the 5 community cards.

On the other hand, a player in an Omaha poker game is required to use both of their hole cards when forming the best possible hand. This means that there is no option of just one card. For instance, if a player in an Omaha poker game is dealt with Ah – Kd cards face down and the community cards are composed then the best possible hand for the poker game is an Ace high hand and a high Flush is not possible, since the player must use both of the face-down cards.

For the same set of face-down cards and community cards, a player in a Holdem poker game can come up with an Ace high flush hand with hearts, since players are allowed to use just one of the 2 hole cards, although this is not possible in an Omaha poker game. In addition to the points earlier discussed, there is also another slight difference between Omaha poker and the other poker game variants. The former variant is typically considered a high/low split card game and it is sometimes called Omaha/8 or Omaha HiLo. This is a poker game where the pot is split between the lowest and the highest hands.

There are Main Types of Omaha Poker:

No Limit Omaha Poker Game This is the type of Omaha Poker where it is possible for a player to make a bet of any amount and up to a maximum bet corresponding to all of their chips.
This is the type of Omaha Poker where the bet of a player is limited to what is actually inside the pot.
Limit Omaha Poker This is the type of Omaha Poker game where a betting cap or limit is applied for each of the games as well as for each of the betting rounds.

Playing a Game of Omaha Poker

The betting for each round starts with the player occupying the seat immediately to the left of the poker game’s big blind. And when each of the players has received their respective 4-hole cards, the betting action commences following in a clockwise direction and the first bet is made by the player who is under the gun or the next player immediately next to the big blind following a clockwise sequence