Omaha Hold'em

Omaha Hold'em is a variant of another popular poker game, Texas Hold'em. Both Omaha Hold'em and Texas Hold'em are community poker games, because some of the cards a player must use to craft his or her winning hand are placed face up on the card table for all the players to use and see. The only difference between Omaha Hold'em and Texas Hold'em is the number of cards a player gets to keep in their "pocket" -that is, the number of cards only they themselves can see and use in their hand formation. Following is a brief explanation of how to play Omaha Hold'em.

As with any poker game, the dealer position rotates one player to the left before every new hand. Before dealing a hand in Omaha Hold'em, however, the two players to the left of the dealer must each place a bet. The first Omaha Hold'em player places the "small blind" (equal to half the minimum bet limit), and the player after him or her places the "big blind" (equal to the minimum bet limit). Once the blinds are placed, the dealer gives each player four pocket cards and the first round of betting begins.

It is important to remember that in Omaha Hold'em, a player must use only two of their four pocket cards and three of the community cards to build their hand. Four pocket cards then gives the Omaha Hold'em player a bit more choice and opportunity than Texas Hold'em. After the first round of betting, the dealer places three community cards face-up on the table. This is known as the flop, and will be a determining factor for many Omaha Hold'em players. Another round of betting ensues, after which the dealer places a fourth community card face-up on the table, "the turn", followed by another round of betting. "The river" denotes the dealing of the fifth and final community card in Omaha Hold'em. A final round of betting now takes place, after which the players who have not folded show their hands and either take the pot or lose.

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