How to Play Online Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo Poker

When online poker amateur Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, it shocked the entire poker-playing community. At the same time, Moneymaker helped to usher in a new poker era where Texas Hold'em became the preferred game worldwide. It also became the preferred option for all of the folks who have been hosting their home poker games over the last 20+ years.

If you fancy yourself to be an online poker-playing enthusiast, you might be interested to know that Texas Hold'em is not the only game in town. In fact, your favorite online poker site probably offers more than a dozen different online poker variations. With that in mind, we thought you might want to learn about two closely related poker games: Omaha & Omaha Hi-Lo.

Let's take a look at how to play these games, bolstering your online poker repertoire in the process.

How to Play Omaha Poker

If you have been playing Texas Hold'em, you will immediately recognize the similarities between that poker variation and Omaha poker. The premise of each game is similar as are the rules.

The game starts with one player posting the "nig blind" and the next player posting the "small blind." This is done on a rotating basis, moving around the table from left to right.

After the blinds are posted, the dealer deals each player 4 hole cards instead of the 2 hole cards they would get if playing Texas Hold'em. The extra 2 holes cards will serve to deliver a lot more strong poker hands.

The betting starts and each player in turn has the option to check, bet, raise, or fold.

After the initial betting has been completed, the dealer will spread 3 community cards on the table face-up. This is called "the flop."

After the flop, another round of betting starts with each remaining player again having the option to check, bet, raise, or fold.

After the post-flop betting has concluded, the dealer will deal 1 more community card face-up. This is referred to as the "turn" card.

After the turn card has been dealt, another round of betting starts with each remaining player again having the option to check, bet, raise, or fold.

After the turn-card betting has concluded, the dealer will deal 1 more community card face-up. This is the last card, and it is referred to as the "river" card.

After the river card has been dealt, another round of betting starts with each remaining player again having the option to check, bet, raise, or fold. This will be the final round of betting.

Once all betting has been concluded, it's time for the winning hand to lay claim to the entire pot unless there is a tie.

The winner is determined by the best hand based on the standard rules of poker. As a reminder, here is the standard poker hand hierarchy:

• Rotal Flush - 10 thru Ace of the same suit


• Straight Flush - 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, excluding the Royal Flush


• Four of a Kind - 4 cards with the same value


• Full House - any 3-of-a-kind, plus any 2-of-a-kind


• Flush - all cards of the same suit but not consecutive


• Straight - 5 consecutive cards of any suits


• Three of a Kind - 3 cards with the same value


• Two Pair - 2 of one card value, plus 2 of another card value


• One pair - 2 cards with the same value


• High Card - highest card when none of the other hands exist
  

To determine which player has the best hand, the final remaining hands must consist of exactly two hole cards and three community cards. The dealer will help determine the best possible combination for each of the remaining players.

How to Play Omaha Hi-Lo Poker

As you might have guessed, the process and rules for Omaha Hi-Lo and regular Omaha are the same with one significant difference. Omaha Hi-Lo is a "split pot" variation.

In a split pot poker game, the final pot gets divided between 2 hands. In most cases, the split will be between the best hand (Hi hand) and the worst hand (Lo hand) based on the standard poker hierarchy.

You are already familiar with the best hand hierarchy. The worst or lowest hand will typically have no pairs or any of the best hand rankings. In such a case, the best low hand would be A-2-3-4-5. Before you start thinking that is a straight, straights and flushes are not considered when determining the lowest or worst hands.

There is one caveat when determining which hand will get paid as the lowest hand. The lowest hand can't have ant cards about and 8. If no hands qualify as a Lo hand under this rule, the entire pot goes to the Hi hand.

It's worth noting that a single player could win both pots. If they have a 2-3-4-5-6, they would likely win the Lo hand. At the same time, that's a straight, which could win the Hi hand pot.

Omaha Playing Tips

Having the 2 extra hole cards takes a little getting used to for new players. It requires a few different betting strategies because of the added hand possibilities. Before you get yourself in too deep over an online poker game in which you lack experience, here are 5 tips to help guide you:

1. Don't over-value starting hands

If you were to land two kings (hole cards) in Texas Hold'em, that's a powerful hand, and you would want to bet it as such. If you were to land two kings plus any two other cards (hold cards) in Omaha, it's not quite as powerful because of the likelihood of another player having two aces or the other two kings, as well as other pairs.

2. Be aggressive when drawing to make the nuts

The term nuts refers to strong hands like straights, flushes, and full houses. When playing Texas Hold'em, it's best to read the table before trying to draw to the nuts because of limited possibilities. In Omaha, you can afford to be more aggressive when drawing to the nuts because your 4 hole cards can create more possibilities.

3. Bet wrap hands

What is a "wrap" hand?" If you were to have several 3-card sequences or 3-card flushes among your hole cards and the flop, you would have a lot more outs when the turn and river are dealt. Don't be afraid to bet wraps at least until the turn card is revealed.

4. Big pairs are weaker

A pair of Aces or Kings in Texas Hold'em is a powerful betting hand. Not so much when playing Omaha. You will find it's much easier to get a big pair wiped out but straight and flushes because of the two extra hole cards.

5. Play your position properly

If you have a decent hand and get to wager early, you have a chance to do two things. First, you'll have the ability to build the pot with initial wagers and subsequent raises. Second, you'll be able to control the pot during hands when players are trying to draw the nuts.

Summary: Teaching you how to play online Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo Poker is an exercise designed to show you there are other interesting online poker game options. We chose to look at Omaha because it's so closely related to Texas Hold 'em. You'll be amazed at how interesting these games can be simply because you are getting 2 extra hold cards. Now that you have an understanding of Omaha, why not give it a try the next time you log into your online poker account?