How to play 5 card Omaha

How to Play 5 Card Omaha?

Are you a newbie poker player? Or maybe, you’ve been playing traditional poker for quite some time, now. And while poker, in itself, is an interesting game, you want to try something new and different. Well, no need to go too far. And, you can still play poker, while you’re at it. All you need to do is learn how to play 5 Card Omaha poker.

Poker is a wonderful game, which has spawned of many variants over the years it’s been in play. Some of these variants are popular games like 5 Card Draw or 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Omaha and many other such games. All of these games aren’t planets away from poker. What makes playing these games so much fun, is that they’re all just some version of poker, with rules that are slightly tweaked. Today, we will learn how we can play 5 Card Omaha. If you’re confused or completely unaware of this game, then fret not. We’ll guide you along, and explain the poker rules of the game. So, read on, and find out.

- What is 5 Card Omaha?

5 Card Omaha, as we mentioned before, is a game similar to traditional poker. The objective remains the same; build the best hand in order to win the pot. So, what makes it different from regular poker? It’s quite simple, really. In traditional poker, you are dealt two hole cards, each, which you keep a secret from the other players. As the game proceeds, five community cards are dealt, and kept face-up on the table. These cards can be used by all the players to build their hands.

5 Card Omaha, on the other hand, tweaks some of these rules. In this game, players are dealt five hole cards, each. Those cards belong to the players and are for their eyes only. Like poker, five community cards are also dealt and placed face-up on the table. Now, the players have to use any three of the community cards and two of their hole cards to build their hand. Basically, the chances of them building a winning hand improve in 5 Card Omaha, because they get a higher number of hole cards, from which they can pick out the best two.

- Types of 5 Card Omaha:

5 Card Omaha is played in two different ways, depending on the betting pattern. One of the versions is called Pot Limit 5 Card Omaha Poker. In this game, players have a limit on the amount they can bet. So, if the pot has $100, then the players can only bet up to that amount.

The other version of the game is called No Limit 5 Card Omaha Poker. In this version, there is no limit placed on the amount the players can bet. So, the players can even bet using all their chips.

Now that we’ve reviewed some of the basic elements of the game, we can step right in, and learn the rules of the Omaha games.

Steps To Play 5 Card Omaha

In a game of Pot Limit 5 Card Omaha, the game is described using the pot size and the blinds of the game. So, for instance, if the pot limit of the game is ½, then the game has an SB (Small Blind) of 1 and a BB (Big Blind) of 2.

Other than that, in a game of 5 Card Omaha, the betting round begins after each of the players receives their five hole cards. After they do so, the betting proceeds, the first player to act being Under the Gun. The process continues from thereon in a clockwise manner, around the table.

- Pre-flop:

So, now that the players have been dealt with their five hole cards, they are ready to play their hands.

The round starts from the player sitting left of the Big Blind. This act, for this round, is considered as ‘live’ bet. The player has an option to fold, call or raise. If they fold, they essentially give up. If they call, then they have to meet the bet placed by the Big Blind, which is 2. On the other hand, if they wish to raise, they need to bet more, which could be 4.

As soon as this player plays their hand, the game proceeds in a clockwise fashion, around the table. The betting round is not completed unless all the active players at the table have placed their bets.

- The Flop:

Once the first round is complete, the first Flop is revealed. The Flop is essentially the first of the community cards to be dealt. In this round, 3 community cards are dealt and placed face-up at the center of the table.

Now, the round commences with the player sitting immediately clockwise of the Button. Another round of betting follows the first Flop.

- The Turn:

Once the betting round for the Flop is completed, we move on to the next round of the game. This round is the Turn. In this round, a fourth community card is dealt and placed face-up at the center of the table.

Again, the round commences with the player sitting immediately clockwise of the Button. Another round of betting follows the Turn, as well.

- The River:

After the betting round for the Turn ends, we go on to the next stage of the game. This is the River. In this round, similar to the previous one, another community card is dealt on the table, face-up. This community card is the fifth and final community card.

The round commences with the player sitting immediately clockwise of the Button, once again. A final round of betting follows.

- The Showdown:

This is the final stage of the game. In this stage, the players are supposed to show their hands, and a winner is determined.

If, at the end of the final betting round, there is more than one player active in the game, then the player who was last to call or raise on a bet, gets to show his or her hand.

However, if there was no bet placed in the final betting round, then the player sitting immediately clockwise of the Button shows their hand first.

The best hand is determined based on the cardinal rule of 5 Card Omaha; the players must build their hands using only two cards from their hole cards and only three cards from the community cards. Whichever player follows this rule and builds the best hand, wins the pot.

In case there are two identical hands, the pot is split equally between the two players with the winning hands.

This is the process and the rules followed whenever you want to play Omaha. It’s a straight forward game with simple rules.

As we conclude, we have gone over the basics of 5 Card Omaha, and also learnt the rules and the stages of the game. Now that we’ve equipped ourselves with all the knowledge about the game, we’re sure you can’t wait to give this one a try. You’ve read enough about it. Come join us at Spartan and play online poker! Get ready for some great rewards!