Omaha Poker Rooms

When someone says that he plays Omaha, he can be referring to a couple of different poker games depending on where he comes from. In North America, Omaha usually means the hi-lo split variation of the game where the best and the worst hands split the pot (if the worst hand fulfills the low requirements). However, in Europe Omaha refers to Omaha Hi only, where the player with the best holding scoops the pot.

Usually Omaha Hi-Lo is played with fixed limits, even though it can be played in Pot-Limit form at some poker sites. Omaha Hi is preferably played in Pot-Limit and is very popular online.

If you take a look at the top lists that some poker rooms have showing the biggest winners of the day, there are often Omaha players in the top of the charts. A good streak in Omaha can make you rich very fast, but on the other hand, a down streak might ruin you.

The basics of the game are easy to grasp if you are familiar to Texas Hold'em. The betting pattern is exactly the same as is the hand ranking. But there is one major difference - the number of hole cards. In Texas Hold'em you only get dealt two cards, but in Omaha you get four. This means that you will have more hand combinations when you create your best hand. But remember that you have to use two cards.

In Texas Hold'em you can choose to use only one card, or even play the board. This is not possible in Omaha. Obviously this makes four aces a bad starting hand even though it might look good. Instead, you wish to get maybe a high pair with two other cards in the same suit as the paired cards or a hand with many straight and flush possibilities. And if you play Omaha Hi-Lo a good starting hand is when you have the chance to draw to both the high hand and the low hand, preferably the wheel (ace-to-five straight).

Learn More About: Omaha Poker Strategy, Omaha Poker Rules