These days many Holdem players are learning how to play Omaha in search of weaker games since Holdem games are starting to fill up with players who know what they are doing. There is no better time than right now to learn how to play Omaha. Aside from the fact that when playing Omaha you are dealt four cards the actual rules of the game do not differ that much from the rules of Holdem. Making the transition from Holdem to Omaha can be quite tricky and before you even think about trying Omaha out you need to know the basics of rules.

The first major difference between Omaha and Holdem is preflop. Before the flop in a game of Omaha poker each player at the table will be dealt four cards. The small blind and big blind operates the same way as you would expect it to in a Holdem game. Preflop betting is also more or less the same depending on which variation of Omaha you are playing. Pot limit and limit Omaha are the most popular forms of the game.

It is key to remember that when you play Omaha you must use two cards from your own hand to make a made hand. So, if you want to make a flush or a straight you need to be holding two cards that fit. Unlike Holdem where are allowed to use just one card from your hand to make a made hand. This is one of the most common mistakes you see from new Omaha players so make sure you fully understand this rule before you sit down to play.

After preflop betting the flop comes down exactly the same way as you would see in a Holdem game with three community cards face up in the middle of the table. A round of betting then takes place starting with the out of position player, identical to Holdem. The fourth card, known as the turn card, is then dealt face up followed by the river card face up. In fact barring the fact that you have two more cards than you do when you play Holdem the games are virtually identical. The same hand values that are used in Holdem are used to determine who wins in Omaha.

Advices

If you are planning to give Omaha poker a go and you have come from a Holdem background then it is a good idea to check out some Omaha strategy before you start. Even though on the surface the two games appear very much alike the value of certain hands decreases massively when playing Omaha due to the fact that you are dealt four cards to begin with as opposed to two. Expect to see extremely big hands on a much more frequent basis when you play Omaha.