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When you push all your chips into the center of the table in hopes of either winning the pot or busting out.
Omaha is a community-card poker game in the same vein as Texas Hold’em. Each player is dealt four hole cards, and must make the best five-card hand possible using two cards from their hand, plus three of the five community cards.
Our expert guide to online Omaha poker will cover:
Here are the top online casinos our team of experts recommend Canadian players use for Omaha poker:
Again, the player’s goal in Omaha poker is to make the best possible five-card poker hand, using two of their four personal cards, as well as three of the five shared community cards.
Betting rounds work much in the same way in Omaha poker as they do in Texas Hold’em. This makes starting out at Omaha poker rules much easier than other poker games.
Here is a quick run-through of how to play a hand of Omaha poker start to finish.
Before any cards are dealt, two players must place blinds.
In Omaha poker, the big blind is equal to a small bet, with the small blind half of that amount (for example, $2 and $1, respectively).
Blinds are posted by the two players to the left of the button, which moves around the table clockwise after each hand. The player closest to the dealer will post the small blind, and the player to their left would place the big blind.
Once all blinds are posted, the hand officially begins with cards being dealt.
Each player will receive four cards face down. These are called hole cards, and can be used only by the player to which they are dealt.
Once each player has seen his or her hole cards, the game proceeds into its first betting round.
As in other variations, betting action starts with the player to the left of the big blind. This is known as the ‘Under the Gun’ position. This player can call (match the big blind), raise one additional small bet, or elect to fold.
The action then moves around the table. To stay in the hand, each player must match the current raise, or call if there has not been one. If the pot is not raised by the time the big blind gets to act, this player can check or raise. There is a maximum of four raises on any betting round.
Once each player has had his or her turn to play, the game proceeds to the flop.
The “flop” is the term used for the first three community cards available to each player. The dealer will deal the “flop” cards face up, and each player will have the opportunity to use these cards in their final hand.
Remember, each player’s final hand will be comprised of two of four hole cards, and three of five community cards.
After the flop is dealt, another betting round follows, using the same structure as the pre-flop betting round.
Once each player has had an opportunity to bet post-flop, the dealer reveals the fourth community card, known as the “turn.”
Again, this card will be available to all players, and is followed by a third round of betting.
After the third round of betting, the dealer will reveal the fifth – and final – community card. This is known as “the river”.
You’ve probably noticed the pattern by this point – once the river is dealt, there will be a fifth and final round of betting.
As with all other betting rounds, players have the choice to check, raise, call, or fold.
At this point, all betting rounds are complete. All players have either folded or contributed an equal amount into the pot.
Assuming there is more than one remaining active player, the game moves to the showdown. In the showdown, remaining players turn their hole cards face up, and reveal their best possible five-card hand (again, two cards from your four hole cards plus three from the five community cards.)
Omaha poker uses standard hand rankings (more on this in a minute) to determine a winner who claims the pot. In an event of a tie, the pot is split evenly between the tying players.
The best poker hands in five-card draw are very similar to Texas Hold’em and most poker games. Hands are ranked from best to worst in the chart below.
| Name | Description | Example |
| Royal Flush | Five sequential cards of the same suit, 10 through Ace |  |
| Straight Flush | Five sequential cards of the same suit |  |
| Four of Kind | Four cards of the same value |  |
| Full House | Three cards of the same value and two different cards of the same value |  |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit |  |
| Straight | Five sequential cards |  |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same value (other two cards are irrelevant) |  |
| Two Pair | Two cards of the same value and two different cards of the same value (the fifth card is irrelevant) |  |
| One Pair | Two cards of the same value (the other three cards are irrelevant) |  |
| High Card | None of the above; defer to the highest-value card in the hand |  |
Given four hole cards rather than Texas Hold’ems two, it’s much more rare for the winner of a hand of Omaha poker to sneak through with a high card, or something lower value.
As such, much of a player’s success will come from the starting card selection that they’re dealt. Below we’ve listed some of Omaha poker’s stronger starting hands – if you’re lucky to be dealt any of the below, we recommend playing that hand aggressively.
A-A-K-K or A-A-J-10, double suited. In a “double suited” hand, two cards belong to one suit, and the other two belong to a different suit. These are considered the best starting hands possible, and should always be played aggressively. It is the multiple ways to make the “nuts” (best hand possible; a royal flush) which makes these hands stand out.
A-K-J-Q (or similar suited Broadways). Once again, you have a shot at the nut straight, and preferably two flushes. Against opponents prone to overplaying smaller straights, these hands can be excellent – they also remove key cards from the deck, making it harder for opponents to have aces or kings.
K-K-8-8 or Q-Q-9-10: These are examples of high pair hands with either an additional pair or some coordinated side cards. These can make nut hands, though keep in mind that it is hard to win a big pot with an unimproved over-pair in Omaha.
6-7-8-9 or 7-8-9-10: Known as rundown hands, you can make a lot of different straights. For example, on a board of 4-5-8, any 3, 6 or 7 gives you the nuts with 5-6-7-8. Suited combinations are valuable as a backup with this type of hand.
This may seem obvious to some, but newer poker players have the tendency to take weak hands and try to “make them work”. While that strategy can sometimes work in games with lots of bluffing, like Texas Holdem, not so much in Omaha. If you have a weak hand, fold before you’re committed.
Have a budget, and stick to it. We typically recommend playing at a table where your bankroll allows for 50 buy-ins. This will allow you to play for longer and make the fun last.
Omaha Poker can often be a game of many weak hands for every one strong one you’re dealt. Much like blackjack, it’s a game of pouncing on opportunities. When you do receive a strong hand, play it aggressively.
Of course, Omaha poker comes with a few different variations of how to play the game. Here are the most popular.
A player can bet whatever is in the pot (i.e. $50 bet into a $50 pot). This is the most common form of Omaha Poker online
A player can choose to bet all of their chips at once if they want to.
Betting limits are applied to each game of Omaha poker that you play, along with each round of betting.
In Omaha Hi Lo, players can make both high and low hands, and the pot is split between those two hands.
When you push all your chips into the center of the table in hopes of either winning the pot or busting out.
The small blind is the player positioned directly to the left of the dealer and must wager before receiving cards, while the big blind is the player positioned to the left of the small blind and must bet 2x the small blind before receiving cards.
When you pretend to have really good cards, but don’t.
When you match the highest bet currently on the table.
When no wager is made and the action is on the next player to the left.
The tokens on the table that represent a certain value or dollar amount.
Before the game starts, players’ agree to fixed max bets per betting round.
The first three community cards, a round of betting occurs after this.
Players can wager up to all of their remaining chips.
An unbeatable hand; the best possible hand in a game. In most poker games, the ‘nuts’ would be a royal flush.
Emotionally betting in poker, which usually happens when you’re chasing losses. Avoid this at all costs.
Players at the table can make a bet up to the total value of the current dollar amount in the pot.
When somebody to your right wagers a certain amount and you increase that amount by a certain amount.
The fifth and final community card, a round of betting occurs after this.
When you believe you have really good cards and try to lure the other poker players in to fattening up the pot.
The fourth community card, a round of betting occurs after this.
The player positioned to the left of the big blind and first person to bet after everybody receives their cards.
Yes, most online casinos offer free Omaha poker games to players. You might be required to sign up for the poker site, but you won’t have to deposit any real money into your account.
The main difference between Texas Hold’Em and Omaha poker is the number of hole cards dealt to each player. In Omaha poker, a player is dealt four hole cards, whereas Hold’em players only receive two cards. In Omaha Poker, a player is required to use two and only two of their hole cards in their final hand. In Texas Hold’em, players can use one card or both.
Omaha Poker is very similar to Texas Hold’em with a couple of variations. Mainly, instead of two hole cards, each player is dealt four hole cards. Secondly, in Omaha, players must make the best possible hand using two of their hole cards and three of the five community cards.
In Omaha Poker, during the first round of betting, the raise is typically the same amount as the big blind and remains there until the final round. During the final round of betting, the limit is closer to double the big blind.
Yes, it is legal in Canada for individuals to play online poker. No one has been prosecuted for playing online poker; there are, however, certain states that have restrictions. But even in these states, there is no record of anyone being charged with playing online poker.
