Not a member? Join Now

Omaha has quickly taken shape as the second most popular poker game in casinos and card rooms.  Its unpredictability and intensity make it an adrenaline rush for true card players.  Omaha is like Texas Hold’em, with a twist.  Instead of two hole cards being dealt at the beginning of the game, players receive four cards.  The catch is that a player must play two and only two of his hole cards to complete a hand. 

Sequence of Events

Sit down
Up to 10 players plus a dealer are seated around a table.

Dealer Button
In front of one of the players is a round disk or button. This dealer button determines the order of betting (explained later) and moves to the left one player at a time, after each hand.

Post Blinds
Before the cards are dealt at the beginning of each hand, the two players directly to the left of the dealer button must post "blinds". To post a blind is to place a bet before getting cards. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the "small blind," equal to half of the minimum bet (e.g. $5 for a 10-20 game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the "big blind," equal to the amount of the minimum bet (e.g. $10 for a 10-20 game). Learn more poker betting basics. 

Pocket Cards
Once the blinds have been posted, the first round of cards are dealt. These consist of two cards face down to each player and are called the "pocket" cards. Each player can see their own pocket cards. Then the first round of betting takes place, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table.

Betting
Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a 3/6 table, bets are $3 in the first two rounds and $6 in the last two. The bet amount can climb a maximum of 3 times in each round of betting. In other words, there can be one bet and three raises in each round.

Flop Cards
Next, three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the "Flop". All three cards are "community" cards and can be used by all the players at the table to make up their hand.

After the flop is dealt, a second round of betting takes place -- again, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the dealer button. (All subsequent rounds of betting begin with the player to left of the dealer button).

Turn Card
Following this, a fourth "community" card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is called the "Turn card" and can also be used by all players. It is followed by a third round of betting.

River Card
Finally, a fifth and final "community" card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. It is called the "River card" and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting. Since there isn’t a dealer in online games, the dealer button is used as a replacement and rotates around the table.

With five community cards on the table, players remaining in the hand must use two hole cards and three community cards to make their hand.  The player with the highest hand wins if a showdown is necessary.  A tie results in a split pot.  Learn more about poker hand rankings. 

Showdown
Once all betting is complete, players determine the best five-card hand that they can make using any combination of their "pocket" cards and the "community" cards. This determines the winner.

Start again!
After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left, and the next hand begins.

Back to Poker Home