Omaha

Though not as popular as Texas Hold’Em, Omaha poker is gaining popularity. The two games are similar, but there are some important differences. These differences are part of the reason why Omaha poker might appeal to some players more than Texas Hold’Em.

You’ll often hear Texas Hold’Em referred to simply as Hold’Em and Omaha poker called Omaha. Omaha is similar to Holdem in using a three-card flop on the board, a fourth board card, or community card, and then a fifth board card. Each player is dealt four hole cards in Omaha as opposed to the two you get with Hold’Em. In order make a hand in Omaha, you must use two (and only) of your hole cards combined with three community cards. In contrast, Hold’Em allows you to use any combination of hole cards and community cards to make your hand. Betting is the same in Hold’Em and Omaha.

Omaha is often played high-low split – 8 or better – meaning the player may actually create two hands (a high hand and a low hand). The player may use any combination of two hole cards and three board cards for the high hand and another combination of two hole cards and three board cards for the low hand. The 8 or better rule typically applies. If there is no qualifying hand for the low in the low high split, then the best high hand wins the whole pot.

Omaha is typically a slower paced game than Hold’Em. In a casino, approximately twice as many hands are dealt an hour in Hold’Em. Hold Em players usually have a wider variety of games to choose from, but Omaha games have more regulars. If your aim is to win, Hold’Em requires more risk-taking and more variance in how you play. Winning Hold’ Em is all about exploiting tiny edges, while the edges in Omaha are typically wider.

Both Omaha and Hold’Em are great games, but you may find that you’re far more suited to one than the other. Learn and practice both games, to see if you enjoy one more or seem to be able to play one more successfully than the other. To get good experience at both games, try playing free online Omaha poker and free online Hold’Em poker or play friendly, low cost live poker games. Both ways will help you hone your skills without losing a lot of money.