Omaha Style Poker!  Hold 'em!

Omaha, or Omaha Hold'em is another game found at both land based and online poker rooms. Where Texas Hold'em is a 7-card game, Omaha is a 9-card game. Like Texas Hold'em, Omaha games can be played with these different betting limits:

• Limit – There is a specific betting limit for each game played and each round. For example a $.50/$1.00 has a $.50 Blind, the first round of betting and raises is $.50 and the subsequent rounds are upped to $1.00 bets.

   

• Pot Limit – Players can bet a maximum, equal to the total pot at the time of their bet.

   

• No Limit – Players can bet as much as they have on the table at the time of the bet.

Here's how the game is played:

1. The 2 players left of the dealer place a 'Small Blind' and 'Big Blind' (blind, as in betting before seeing the hand) bet, which for a $.50/$1.00 game is $.25 and $.50 respectively.

    

2. Once the Blind bets are made each player is dealt 4 cards face down.

    

3. Betting begins with the player to the left of the bettor who placed the “Big Blind” bet.

    

4. 3 cards are dealt face up, in the middle of the table, in what is called “The Flop”.

    

5. There is another round of betting,

    

6. A 4th card is placed face up in the middle of the table.

    

7. There is another round of betting,

    

8. The last card, or “The River” card is placed face up in the middle.

    

9. There is the final round of betting.

Following the bet the players make their best hand of 5 cards, using 2 of their down 4 cards and 3 cards from the 5 community cards on the table. A winner is determined by the usual means, either the high hand wins, or the last player who is still “in” gets the pot.