They say hold’em takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. Omaha probably takes a little longer to learn, although if you know how to play hold’em you’re already half of the way there. In many ways, the game plays very similar to hold’em, although the fact that players are dealt four hole cards instead of two adds a fairly major wrinkle into how the game is played. Also, the game is often played as a pot-limit game, which adds another twist with which hold’em players may not be familiar.
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Like many other forms of poker, Omaha is played using a standard 52-card deck. Play begins with the dealer shuffling the cards and dealing each player four cards, one at a time, in a clockwise fashion around the table starting with the player on the dealer’s left. If being played in a casino, a non-playing dealer handles the shuffle and deal.
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Betting in Omaha is similar to betting in Texas hold’em and other poker games. Before the first round of betting, the player sitting to the left of the dealer posts the “small blind” and the player sitting to that player’s left posts the “big blind.” These are forced bets designed to help stimulate action. The size of these bets is predetermined before play begins. For example, in a $1/$2 pot-limit Omaha game, the small blind is $1 and the big blind $2.
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Betting in Omaha poker proceeds according to a sequence similar to that of Texas hold’em and other games. Before the cards are dealt, the player sitting to the left of the dealer posts what is called a “small blind,” that is, a bet the size of which has been predetermined before play begins. The player sitting to the left of the small blind also must make a forced bet, called a “big blind” because it is twice the size of the small blind.
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