Play Omaha Poker: Fixed Limit, No Limit, Pot Limit

Omaha Poker Rules

Omaha poker is a popular spin-off of Texas Holdem, built around the same basic concept, but with 4 hole cards, and more restrictions in hand development.

Object of Omaha

Omaha rules give each player 9 cards to work with – 4 hole cards each, and 5 community cards for everyone. Players must combine exactly 2 hole cards with 3 community cards to develop the strongest possible 5-card poker hand. The highest ranking hand wins the pot.

Omaha Limits & Betting Structure

Omaha poker may be played in three limit structures - Fixed Limit, No Limit or Pot Limit. The limit and stakes determine the Blind Bets. Read the definitions below to understand how these intertwine.

Fixed Limit: A Fixed Limit (FL) betting structure coordinates the size of all bets and raises throughout a poker game, according to the stakes. If the stakes are $1/$2, all bets/raises are $1 in the first two betting rounds; $2 in the last two betting rounds.

No Limit: A No Limit (NL) betting structure does not put a cap on the max bet/raise, only a minimum. If the stakes are $1/$2, the minimum bet raise is $2 (the low stake affects the blinds only – see Blind Bets).

Pot Limit: A Pot Limit (PL) uses the same betting rules as No Limit, except that the maximum wager is always equal to the current size of the pot.

Blind Bets: Forced bets placed before any cards are dealt. Blind bets encourage the players to move forward by forcing an investment in the pot. Only two players are required to place Blind Bets; the Small Blind and the Big Blind.

Small Blind: The Small Blind (SB) is a small wager placed by the player directly left of the dealer button. If playing FL, the SB is equal to 50% of the low-end stakes. NL and PL games require a SB equal to the low-end stakes.

Big Blind: The Big Blind (BB) is a wager placed by the player directly left of the SB bettor. If playing FL, the BB is equal to the low-end stakes. NL and PL games require a BB equal to the high-end stakes.

Dealer Button: Unless playing a home game, players will not actually deal the cards. There will be a dealer assigned to the table. The Dealer Button denotes which player is in the dealer position. The button is passed clockwise around the table with each new hand.

How To Play Omaha – Playing a Hand

A game of Omaha begins with the SB and BB bets. Each player is then dealt 4 cards face down. These are the Hole Cards. Once each player has seen their own hole cards, the first betting round starts.

The SB and BB have already placed their bets, so the player left of the BB will get things started. He must at least call the BB in order to stay in the hand. He may also raise or fold. Betting continues in this fashion around the table until all players have acted. The SB and BB bettors are only required to add enough chips to their current bet to call or raise. If none have raises thus far, the BB can Check. If a blind bettor folds, their blind bet is lost.

Note: If at any time all other players fold, the remaining player wins the pot and a new hand begins. Otherwise, the hand continues.

The Flop: 3 Community Cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. All players will use these cards, combined with their hole cards, to develop the best possible hand. A second betting round begins. All betting rounds will now start with the player left of the dealer button.

The Turn: The 4th Community Card is dealt, and the third betting round begins. Remember, if playing FL, all bets/raises now double to match the high-end stakes.

The River: The 5th Community Card is dealt, followed by the final round of betting.

The Showdown: All players who are still active in the hand will combine two of their own hole cards with 3 community cards, developing the strongest possible 5-card poker hand. The highest ranking hand wins the entire pot.

Poker Hand Ranks

Highest to lowest...
Royal Flush Ace-high straight, all suited
Straight Flush - any straight, all suited
4 of a Kind - 4 same-value cards
Full House - 3 of a Kind + one Pair
Flush - all same suit
Straight - all sequenced/connected
3 of a Kind - 3 same-value cards
2 Pair - one Pair + one Pair
Pair - 2 same-value cards
High Card - none of the above

Please read our other rules pages to learn more about the different poker games: Texas Holdem,Omaha Hi/Lo,Caribbean Stud,Let it Ride,7 Card Stud,Razz Poker,Double Flop.

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