Learning Omaha Poker
June 21, 2008
Everybody loves the Texas Hold’em Poker style of game. You are dealt two cards and then it is up to you which five card combination you can make with three cards on the flop, one card on the turn, and another card on the river. If you think that Texas Hold’em is exciting then you should learn how to play Omaha Poker too.
How is Omaha Poker played anyway? First, you are dealt with four cards. Second, a round of raising and betting takes place. Third, the three flop cards are shown by the dealer. Fourth, another round of betting takes place. Fifth, the turn card is taken out and the dealer shows it to everyone at the table. Sixth, another round of betting takes place. Seventh, the river card is taken out and the dealer shows it to everyone. Eighth, the last round of betting takes place. You may have noticed that the previous rounds are pretty similar to Texas Hold’em. The last part of Omaha is the most important one. In Texas Hold’em Poker, you may only use one of your cards and four from the community cards. This is okay. In Omaha poker, the case is different. You have to use two of your four cards and three of the five community cards that are available to all. I shall repeat that one more time so that you remember it. You have to use two cards of the four cards that were given to you at the start of the game and you have to combine these two cards with three community cards. You should be able to make the best possible combination with these five cards.
What makes Omaha exciting anyway? One of the things that makes Omaha exciting is the way you play the community cards and the way you play your cards. What is the best five out of all? If you play your cards well then you will always spot the best five card combination possible. Another thing that makes Omaha exciting and analytical is since you have a lot more cards, you can rule out more cards that are yet to come out. For example, if you are holding a three of diamonds, then you should not keep your hopes too high to expect another three to come out in the game. Lastly, Omaha is exciting because your opponents are more unpredictable. They are just as excited and they are just as immersed in the game as you are. When you have four cards in your hands and another five cards in the community, you should be thinking and thinking about all the possibilities that you can make. Always make sure that you are getting two from your cards and three from the community. It is not like Texas Hold’em where you can only use one card on your hand and the other four from the community cards. Remind yourself of this always because you might still be stuck in the Texas Hold’em mentality. You do not want to make mistakes at the heat of the game, right?