How to Play Omaha Poker

When players learn how to play Omaha poker, they are first taught the rules of the most basic of games, Texas Hold’em poker. They are taught that they use a third-card flop on the board, a fourth boardcard and finally a fifth boardcard. The difference comes in, however, when – in Omaha poker – players are dealt four hole cards (unlike the two dealt in Texas Hold’em poker).

When learning how to play Omaha poker, players are taught that they can make a hand using exactly two holecards and three boardcards. The betting in Omaha poker is the same as in Texas Hold ’em and during a showdown, players need to show the entire four-card hand in order to win the pot.

After learning how to play Omaha poker, players will become familiar with the fact that they can play the game as a high-low split, 8 or better – known as Omaha high-low. For the high hand, players can use a combination of two holecards and three boardcards, while for the low hand, they can use the same (or another) combination. The same rules apply for Omaha high-low as those that are applied when players learn how to play Omaha poker. However, if no hand qualifies as a winner for the low hand, the best high hand will take home the entire prize pot.