How to play Omaha hold’em poker
Posted on May 5, 2008
Filed Under Online Poker
Texas Hold’em is without a doubt the most popular poker game to date. However, there are many other poker games that breed a passion in players world wide, that simply cannot be forgotten. As arguably the most popular game after Texas Hold?em, Omaha Hold?em, or simply Omaha as the regulars call it, offers its player an exciting twist from their regular games. Omaha poker is different from the get go, with four pocket (or ?down cards?) being dealt out at the start of the hand. Players look at their cards and a standard betting round pursues. From here the next few moves play out like a game of Texas Hold’em, with a three card flop being laid out, followed by another betting round and the Turn card. Once the four ‘community’ cards are in play, there is another betting round followed by the turn of the fifth card (called the river) , and this is where it starts to get interesting.
Unlike Texas Hold’em, where the showdown involves players creating a hand from one or both of their pocket cards and those on the table, Omaha rules are much more precise. With a starting hand of four cards, players are allowed to make a hand using two cards only from their pocket cards (no more, no less) and must play with a combination of these two and three of the ‘community’ cards that are on the table. This means that if the community cards are all one suit and you do not possess two of this suit in your hand, you cannot possibly make a flush. From here, a final betting round begins and the player with the best two-pocket-card and three-community-card combination wins. It’s a little tricky to get the hang of at first, but if you practice with friends at home, or have a go on some Omaha play-money tables online, you’re sure to kick your Texas Hold’em habits and have it down pat in no time.
Comments
Leave a Reply
