OMAHA HIGH


Omaha High is a variation of Texas Hold’em – the biggest difference being that every player receives four hole cards and that two hole cards and three cards from the board must be used for the show down. Therefore every player has more opportunities which makes the game very varied and interesting.

Limit: this means there is a specific betting limit applied in each game and on each round of betting.

Pot Limit: you can bet up to the amount that is in the pot.

No Limit: you can bet all of your chips at any time.

Omaha High is played with a deck of 52 cards. Up to 10 players can take part in the game. Every player, beginning to the left of the dealer button, receives four cards face-down (pocket cards). After this, the first betting round can be played. Then three cards are placed face-up in the middle of the table (flop). This is followed by a betting round again. Now another card face-up is dealt (turn) followed by another betting round. The last card is given face-up (river). Finally the last betting round can be played and the best hand with a maximum of five cards (only in the combination of two hole cards and three cards from the table) wins the Pot.

Basics:

As you can see from the game description, there are four betting rounds in Omaha. During the first two rounds there is a lower limit (e.g. it would be $5 for $5/$10) for every bet or raise. The higher limit (e.g. it would be $10 for $5/$10) is to be used in the betting rounds following. During each round there is the possibility of making three raises, unless there are only two players left in the Pot (heads up) and then the raise is unlimited.

Blind Rules:

A dealer button is used with Hold’em. This button is turned clockwise once after every game. The first player to the left of the button must play the small blind and the second player must play the big blind.

Both blinds are dependent on the actual limit, whereby mostly the rule is valid that the small blind is half of the lower bet (e.g. it would be $2.50 by $5/$10, but for simplicity’s sake $2 would be used). The big blind always corresponds to the lower bet (e.g. it would be $5 by $5/$10).

Obviously both blinds are so-called “live bets” and have the option to bet on every action when it is their turn in the betting rounds.

Each new player has to get the big blind or s/he has the possibility to miss out until the blind comes to his/her position.