Omaha Poker Rules

Omaha poker is not very dissimilar to Texas Hold'em, as this poker game also uses a three card flop, followed by a fourth board card and then a fifth board card. Betting rounds are also the same as in Hold'em.

However, in Omaha each player is dealt four hold cards, and they must use two of these and three of the board cards to make their hand. It is therefore not possible to "play the board" (use the community cards only) as one can in Texas Hold'em. To claim a pot in Omaha, players must show all four of their hole cards, and not just the two they are using to make their hand.

• All of the rules presented in Texas Hold'em apply to Omaha with the exception of the last point of the section. This is because Omaha players must use two of their four hole cards and three of the board cards to make up their hand, and are not permitted to make a hand from the five board cards only.
  
  

Omaha High-Low Poker Rules

Omaha high-low poker requires players to make two hands - one high and one low - and the pot is split between the winner of each. The player must use two of his four hole cards and three board cards to make his high hand, and two of his four hole cards and three board cards to make his low hand. The player can, if he chooses, use the same combination of cards for both hands.

• All of the rules referred to above for Omaha apply to Omaha high-low, but further explanatory rules are required, as follows:
• The term "8 or better" is used to draw the line between high hands and low hands. This means that a low hand must consist of five cards of different ranks that that are 8 or lower.
• If there are no valid low hands then the best high hand in the game will win the entire pot.
• The Ace counts as both a high card and a low card.
• The rules governing "kill pots" are presented in a later section.