If you have played Texas Hold'em and found you like it, Omaha will either be a greater challenge to you or you will compare it to watching paint dry. It seems that players world wide feel one way or the other. Omaha is played as a high game only or a split pot game. The difference is that in Limit Omaha Hi only, there is only one winner (except for a tie hand) and in Omaha 8 (hi and low split) there may be two or more winners who will split the pot.

The following pages will provide the rules and the structure of the game. There will be graphics and text to walk you through terminology and step by step play of a round of Limit Omaha Hi. Once you have developed a feel for the game, the subsequent rounds will feel much easier.

The Dealer

When the table is full, there will be 9 or 10 players. Another person (or computer when online) does the physical dealing of the cards and is not one of the players.

On the table is a small round disc called the button. This button is placed in front of the person who is the theoretical "dealer" to indicate where the dealing should begin. The button will often say 'D' on it. After every hand, the button moves clockwise as if each player at the table were getting a turn to deal.

Within the PokerPages' software, the dealer's button is always placed in seat 10 at the start of a game/tournament for the first hand and the small blind will be in seat 1 and the big blind will be in seat 2. Now the game begins.

The Blinds

The player to the immediate left of the dealer is always the first on the small blind (this player places 1/2 of the structured bet in front of him or her) and to the left of the small blind is the big blind (this player places1 full structured bet in front of him or her.)

The small and big blinds are compulsory bets. These two players are in actuality betting their first bet "in the blind." The motive for forcing these players to bet in the blind is to create action. Creating action gets money in the pot. This way no one can play for free (without folding) during the first round of betting.

When the next new hand is played the small blind then moves around to the player who was the big blind in the last hand, and the big blind moves to the player to his left. This movement of the small and big blinds continues throughout the game.

For example, in a structured $10-$20 game of Limit Omaha Hi, the small blind would post (place in front of him or her) $5 (1/2 of the structured bet) and the big blind would post $10 (1 full bet.)

Pocket or Hole Cards

Limit Omaha Hi uses all 52 cards in the deck. The dealer begins the deal with the small blind. There will be 4 unique cards called Pocket or Hole cards dealt face down to each player. The hole or pocket cards are exclusive to each player. Each player will view these cards and no other player will see the other players 4 cards.

Round One Betting

After the pocket or hole cards are dealt, the first round of betting begins. When involved in a hand, there are several actions a player can take.

The player may CALL the bet by matching the amount of the first bet (the amount of the big blind.) In the example, it would be $10.

The player may RAISE the bet by matching the amount of the first bet and adding an equal amount to it thereby making it 2 bets. In the example, this would be $20 ($10 + $10.)

The player may FOLD. When a player folds, the action taken is one of passing and the player does not wish to enter the hand by placing any money in the pot.

The first person to start the betting in the first round of Omaha is the player to the left of the big blind. As stated before, the big blind has already made one complete bet. The first round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted and placed the same amount in the pot or folded.

The betting will continue until everyone in the pot has bet the same amount. That means that whenever there is a raise all the players still in the pot must call it, raise it or fold their hand. For example, if seat 5 raises then all the players behind him that want to stay in the pot will have to call the new amount or fold or re-raise.

In our example, seat 3, 4, and 5 fold. Seat 6 calls $10, seat 7 and 8 fold, seat 9 calls $10, seat 10 folds and the little blind calls by adding $5 to his small blind. There are 4 players left. There is $40 in the pot. See picture above.

During the first round of betting, the big blind will have the OPTION to raise. As the action moves around the table and comes back to the big blind, the dealer will ask if they would like to exercise their option to raise. If they do, they may raise. If they do not, they will just check. In a way, they are raising themselves. This OPTION only happens during the first round.

The Flop

The first round of betting is now complete. The dealer will burn the top card and place it in the discard pile. When playing online, the computer will place three cards in the middle of the table. In live play, the dealer will do this.

These 3 cards are known as the flop. These are the first 3 of 5 community cards (cards accessible to all players to use with their hole cards) to be dealt face up in the middle of the table. These 3 cards may be used by all the players in the game by combining them with the four unique cards held in their own hand to form the best possible hand.

The second round of betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer (the person with button.) This person may begin the betting by checking, which is deferring the first action to the next player or choose to bet. The amount to bet in this round of betting is the same as the first round, one structured bet.

The second round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted and placed the same amount in the pot, checked or folded. Once there is a bet in a round it is no longer an option to check.

In the example, the small blind checks. The big blind bets $10 (one structured bet.) Seat 6 calls $10. Seat 9 calls $10 and raises $10 (one structured bet.) The small blind folds. The big blind calls $10 and seat 6 calls $10.

There are three players left with $100 in the pot. See picture above.

The second round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted and placed the same amount in the pot or folded.

The Turn

The second round of betting is now complete. The dealer will burn the next card and place a 4th card face up on the table. This card is known as the turn or 4th street. This round of betting will begin again with the player to the left of the dealer.

If this player decides to bet, the amount of the bet in this round will be 2 structured bets (equal to double the original structured bet.) Just as with the flop, the turn card may be used by all the players in the game.

The players must make the best hand out of 5 cards by combining the community cards with two of the four unique cards held in their own hand. Remember, in Limit Omaha Hi or Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, the player must use two cards from his hand to make the best 5 cards.

The third round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted. They will all have either, checked, placed the same amount in the pot, or folded.

In the example, the big blind bets $20 (two structured bets). Seat 6 calls $20. Seat 9 calls $20 and raises $20.

Next, the big blind calls the $20 raise and re-raises $20. Seat 6 calls the $40 raises from seat 9 and the big blind. Seat nine calls the $20 raise and caps the betting with the last $20 raise.

Finally, the big blind calls $20 and seat 6 calls $20. There are now 3 players each with $240 bets this round making it a total pot of $340.

Note: In Limit Omaha Hi, there may be one bet and three raises per round.

The River

The third round of betting is now complete. The dealer will burn the next card and place a 5th card on the table. This card is known as the river or 5th street. This round of betting will begin again with the player to the left of the dealer.

If the player to the left of the dealer decides to bet, the amount of the bet in this round will again be equal to 2 structured bets. Just as with the flop and the turn, the river card may be used by all the players in the game by combining them with two of the four unique cards held in their own hand.

In Omaha, two cards must be used out of the players hand to make the best 5 cards at the end of the hand.

The fourth round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted. They will all have either, checked, placed the same amount in the pot, or folded.

In our example, the big blind checks. Seat 6 bets $20. Seat 9 calls $20 and raises $20.

Next, the big blind folds and seat 6 calls for $20.

Completion of Hand

The first person left in the hand to reveal his or her cards will be the one that made the last bet during the 4th round of the hand. If no bet was made and all the players checked, then, in order from the left of the dealer to the last player will show his or her hand. When a player has a better hand, it must be revealed in order to win.

If the player elects to throw the cards away because of it being of less value than any other revealed hand, he or she may muck the cards. To 'muck your cards' is to place the cards where they will be discarded.

When a player is sure that he or she is beaten, he or she may or may not elect to show his or her hand (because it gives information about what hand he or she held.) The dealer will identify who has the best hand and the pot will be given to this player.

If the hand comes down to a showdown, the winning player has the right to request to see the losing hand even if the losing player mucks his hand.

In the example, seat 6 reveals his hole cards to be the Jack of Diamonds, Ten of Clubs, the Nine of Clubs and the Queen of Diamonds giving him an Ace high straight. Seat 9 turns over the Queen and King of Hearts, and the Ace and Three of Spades giving him the nut flush and the best hand. The dealer shoves the pot to seat 9 because he won. See picture above.

End of Hand and on to the Next

All cards are returned to the dealer. The cards are shuffled and/or scrambled in preparation for the next hand. The dealer button is moved one position clockwise, indicating the new dealers position. The blinds are also moved one position clockwise and the blind bets are posted and a new hand begins.