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Guide to Playing Omaha Hi
Omaha Hi is a community card poker game. It has many variations of names including Omaha Hi/Low, Omaha 8 and others. If you have ever played Texas Hold 'Em and enjoyed it then I think you will find this poker game just as fun and easy to learn. In Omaha Hi each person in the group is dealt four cards face down and then five cards face up in the middle of the table for all players to see. This game is great to play with friends or family at parties or other social events. You can play with as little or as many people as you like. This game is also easy to add additional players along the way as well as losing players if someone has to leave. Make sure to "cash out" with that person. If they have run out of chips then they are automatically out.
The purpose of the game is to try and create the best hand you can make using five of the nine cards you started with. (4 in your hand and 5 in the middle of the table) Two cards must come from the four cards in your hand and the other three must come from the cards laying face up on the table. The game tends to be more popular and exciting than Texas Hold 'Em as you have more options of play and combinations of hands with four cards face down as opposed to two. This also allows for more betting and more competition within each round. There are also variations of the game where you are able to win parts of the pot with the "High" and "Low" hands. This game is easily teachable especially with players who have played Texas Hold 'Em or another similar card game. It is important however that everyone playing understands the game fully. The winning hand is chosen by the dealer and typically each new game that starts the dealer will become someone different. Cards showing various examples of winning hands would be helpful for a novice player.
Setting up Play
To set up play for Omaha Hi, you will first need to have a full deck of cards. Jokers are not used in this card game. Deal four cards to each person at the table face down. At each round you will deal the five remaining cards face up in the middle of the table. These five cards will be used by everyone at the table to make the best hands possible. Using two of your cards that were face down (not revealing these cards to others) the player should create the best hand possible in combination with three of the cards on the table. This part can get interesting and fun as you try to make your best hand. In Texas Hold 'Em you are able to use as many or as little cards in your own face down stack as you need to make a great hand but in this game if you have a full house, for example, from four of the cards on the table and one card from your hand then you cannot use that combination. Again, your hand must always be two cards from your own "face down" cards and then three cards from the five cards on the table.
First Round Betting
Once all cards have been dealt, players can start betting. The two players to the left of the dealer will place "blind" bets first. Typically, blind bets are a designated amount set by all players and as play goes on, usually get larger. Blind bets are put in the pot in the middle of the table whether or not they plan to play that round or fold that round. The person closest to the dealer will place a "small blind" bet of whatever the designated amount and the next person places a "large blind" bet. The small bind is typically about half the amount of the large blind. Once the large and small blind bets have been made, the next person to the left of the person who just placed a big blind bet will place their bet.
Bets from now on are voluntary unless another bet has been made and the player needs to place a bet to "call" other players bet. Before this can be done, however, the dealer will deal everyone their four cards face down. Players can choose to bet as little or as much as they want or they can not bet anything or "call." The other two options would be to raise the bet, matching the blind bet and then raising the amount, or folding. When folding, the player would give their cards back to the dealer and sit the round out. This is a good option if you feel you will not be able to make any good hands, but you also will not be able to get any of the pot of money at the end of the round. Once the first round of betting is complete, you will repeat three more times. Betting in this game should occur each time a new round is played. Four rounds total.
Second Round Betting
In the second round of betting, the dealer starts the round by placing three of the five cards face up in the middle of the table. In poker terms, this is called the "flop." These three cards are part of the five total cards in the middle of the table to be used to make the best combination of cards. Betting then begins with the person to the left of the dealer. This person can bet, fold or call. Only in the first round do large and small blinds need to be placed on the table. Betting goes all the way around the table until everyone has either matched the highest bet on the table or by folding and giving their cards to the dealer.
Third Round Betting
Third round betting starts with the dealer placing the fourth face up card on the table for everyone to use to create their perfect hand. At this point, betting begins again as it has in the other rounds. The first person to place the bet will be the person to the left of the dealer. This may no longer be the person immediately to the left, as some players may have folded at this point. All remaining players will either bet, call or fold based on how the new card on the table affects their hand.
Final Round of Betting/ The Reveal
The fourth and final round of betting is similar to previous rounds. The dealer will place the fifth card onto the table. A final round of betting occurs based on what hands everyone think they can create. Typically, this is when the betting can become more fun and competitive as all the players have a clearer idea of what sort of hand they will be able to create. After the final round of betting takes place, those players who are still playing the round must reveal their four cards in front of them. Again, to win the hand, a winner can only use two cards from the face down individual pile as well as three cards from the five cards on the table. Once all cards have been revealed, the dealer will survey everyone's hands and see who has the best hand to win the pot.
High vs. Low Winning Hands
There are several different ways you can determine a winner. You can play "Omaha Hi" and have one winner who wins the entire pot or you can play "Omaha Hi/ Low" and potentially have two different winners, each player winning half the pot. When playing "Omaha Hi" the winner is determined based on who has the best or highest hand out of all the remaining players on the table. With Omaha Hi, you use the same rules for picking a winning hand as you would with most other poker games. If you are playing Omaha Hi/ Low, then the dealer would also take a look at the low cards for each player. A player must be able to make a run of five cards that are seven or less including the Ace. Some players may not even qualify. If no one qualifies in a round then the player who won the "hi" pot wins everything. Otherwise, the dealer will look at the best low hand and that person will win half of the pot. Sometimes the person who wins the hi pot can be the same as the person who wins the low pot. Occasionally, the low pot may be split between more than one person.
Tips and Strategies when playing Omaha Hi/ Low
Dealer typically has a chip or something to designate who they are. Always remember the large and small blinds at the beginning of each round. You would not use the large and small blind at the beginning of round two, three or four. The blinds help to enhance the pot and raise the stakes when betting. It also requires betters who may be a bit frugal to put some of their winnings in the pot automatically.
Keep in mind that the object of the game is to get the highest pot possible. If you have the ability to make a good low hand then go for it. If you win the low hand you have the chance to also when the high hand and take the whole pot. If you always focus on the high hand then there is a possibility that someone can take half of your pot with a great low hand. It is hard to predict what others have in their four hidden cards, but if you pay attention to reactions and when other players are betting and not betting then with some time you can learn to read your other opponents.
If you are playing with new friends or old it is important to make sure you understand the house rules, or specific rules that may be created by the person whose home you are playing in. Many card players have variations or different rules they go by and it is important to know what these are. Most importantly have fun!
Read more:
Texas Holdem Poker Game
Seven Card Stud Poker Game
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