A brief introduction to Omaha Poker

Posted on July 16, 2008
Filed Under Poker |

Omaha hold ‘em (or Omaha holdem or simply Omaha) is a community card poker game (often referred to as a “flop game”) similar to Texas hold ‘em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards. The exact origination of the game is unknown, but casino executive Robert Turner first brought Omaha into a casino setting when he introduced the game to Bill Boyd who offered it as a game at the Las Vegas Golden Nugget Casino (calling it “Nugget Hold’em”.)

There are two variations of the game, Omaha High only and Omaha Hi/Lo split. It can be played with the betting being a structured Limit game or you can find No Limit and Pot Limit games.

In Limit Omaha Poker, there is a specific betting limit applied in each game and on each round of betting.

In Pot Limit Omaha Poker, a player can bet what is in the pot (for example, $100 into a $100 pot).

Pot-Limit Omaha is the second-most-common form of poker in the world today. Before the 2003 poker boom, Omaha was much more prevalent in American cardrooms, and was the most popular cash game in many rooms around Europe.

Texas Hold’em has become the poker standard across the world, leaving Omaha the most popular alternate game. Every major tournament tour brand (WPT, WSOP, LAPT …) regularly spreads Omaha events, with buy-ins ranging from small to championship level.

The rules of play for Omaha make the game into much more of a “drawing” or “action” game than a typical Hold’em game at the same limits. Because of the nature of the game, Omaha is rarely if ever played as a No-Limit game. Action/drawing games require more structure than Hold’em, making the game work best as a Limit- or Pot-Limit-only endeavor.

In Hold’em, the first two betting rounds (pre-flop and flop) are the most important, while in Omaha pre-flop is far less important than the flop and turn. In fact, when comparing Hold’em to Omaha, it’s common to refer to Hold’em as a “flop game,” while Omaha is characterized as a “turn game” and a “nut game.”

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