Limit Omaha Rules
In Omaha, each round of betting can consist of one bet and has a maximum of three allowable raises, known as the cap. So, if a bet is made, that bet can only be raised three times, after which all players must call or fold. However, if only two players remain in the hand.
“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” – Katherine Hepburn
Welcome to what I consider the best poker game, Omaha High/Low. If you ever visit a Southern California cardroom, and I happen to be playing, you’ll usually find me in an Omaha game. Why? Well, that gets me back to when I first discovered Omaha.
I started playing seriously in 1999 after moving to Seattle. I was playing low-limit hold’em, usually at a club in Renton called Diamond Lil’s. One rainy April night I ventured into Diamond Lil’s and sat down in a ‘lively’ hold’em game – three or four players, usually, were seeing the flop. I happen to notice that at the next table over eight were seeing the flop every hand. They were playing Omaha. I knew I had to learn it. Forty minutes later, I got called into that game. I knew almost nothing about Omaha but I followed the first poker advice I was ever given: keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut and you should pick the game up. I made a few dollars that night and I haven’t looked back since.
Introduction to Pot Limit Omaha Hi. Pot-Limit Omaha is a unique game. It is one of the few poker games that is much more widely played in Europe than in North America. Pot-Limit Omaha also is a game that tends to have huge swings. Even a poor player can be lucky one night and win almost all of the chips at the table in a game of Pot-Limit Omaha. Omaha High is often played with a pot limit betting structure, though other limits are possible - see betting limits for details. 'Pot Limit Omaha' is often abbreviated to PLO. The cards are shuffled and cut, the dealer 'burns' one card and then deals the cards one at a time face down until each player has four cards. Fixed limit Omaha: With fixed limit Omaha, a pot can only be raised a maximum of four times and the bet or raise must be equal to the size of the blinds. Betting is in pre-determined, structured amounts. No limit Omaha: No limit Omaha is the most aggressive variant available. The minimum bet in no-limit is the same as the size of the big blind.
This is the first of twelve introductory lessons on Omaha.
General Rules of Poker
All poker games, be it Seven Card Stud, Texas Hold’em, or Omaha High/Low, follow the general rules of poker. If you’ve never played poker before, or if you have any doubts about the rules of poker, please read Lou Krieger’s first four lessons. Lou does an excellent job describing the general rules of poker. In these lessons we’ll assume that you know the general rules of poker.
Materials: You will find it useful to have a deck of cards for these lessons. Also, if you do not already keep a log of your poker results, you should purchase a small notebook (that can fit in a pocket) at an office supply or drug store.
Specifics of Omaha Poker
Similarities to Texas Hold’em. Omaha is dealt from a standard 52-card deck. Games are usually nine or ten-handed. A professional dealer sits at the back center of the table (a computer facsimile if you’re playing online), with the players sitting around the remainder of the table. Omaha is a flop game: it bears many similarities to Texas Hold’em:
- A ‘Dealer’ button is used and moves clockwise around the table.
- There are two blinds – a small blind just to the left of the Dealer button, and a big blind to the left of the small blind (or two seats to the left of the Dealer). The blinds act last on the pre-flop round of betting (the blinds are considered live). Blinds exist in order for the betting action to begin. Usually, the big blind is equal to the smaller of the betting limits (in a $4/$8 game, the big blind would typically be $4) while the small blind is half the big blind. In a $3/$6 game, the small blind is usually $1 and the big blind is $3.
- There are four rounds of betting: one before the flop (the first three community cards), one after the flop, one after the turn (fourth community card), and the last round after the river (the final community card) is dealt.
Differences from Texas Hold’em
Each player’s starting hand is four cards, rather than two for Texas Hold’em. Each player must use exactly two cards from his hand (and three of the community cards, or board) to make his or her best five-card poker hand and his or her best five card low hand. A player does not have to use the same two-card combination to make his low and high hand.
Example: Your hand is 5♠5♥7♠Q♠. The board, or community cards, is A♥5♦Q♣4♦8♥. Your high hand is 5♠5♥5♦A♥Q♣ (the underline indicating cards from the board) and your low hand is 8754A (suits are not relevant for low).
Another major difference is that many of the pots are split: one player will win the high (or poker) hand, while another will win the low hand. In Omaha, a low hand must have five different cards numbered eight or less (an Ace is considered a one for low). If a board does not have three different cards less than or equal to eight, there will be no low (example: Board of 8♠10♦10♠3♠3♦). If a player’s hand does not have two different cards less than or equal to eight, he or she cannot make a low hand. The best possible low hand, a wheel, is 5432A (although the best possible low for any given hand is dependant on what cards are on the board; in the example above, the best possible low hand is 5432A – using a 32 from a player’s hand and the 54A from the board).
Finally, most Omaha games are played with a kill. If a player scoops a pot (wins both the high and low), and the pot is of a certain size (this varies by cardroom), the next hand will be played at a higher limit and the killer (the player who scooped the pot) must post an additional blind. The killer may act in turn or have last action, depending on the cardroom. Kills can be full kills (doubling the limits), half kills or other variations.
Why Play Omaha
To make money, of course. An average player in a low limit game (such as $4/$8) should be able to make more money in Omaha than Texas Hold’em. Also, knowing how to successfully play more than one poker game allows you to seek out and play in the best game going.
Other reasons to play Omaha include:
- Omaha gives the illusion of action. Most pots are multi-way. You’ll find that in low-limit Omaha large pots are the norm.
- Loose players love the game. ‘Wow,’ they think, ‘I get six hold’em hands!’ We’ll discuss hand selection in detail in lessons three through five, but for now just note that you should end up playing fewer hands in Omaha than in hold’em.
- At the lower limits, Omaha is more a game of statistics and probability than of people. While skills such as reading opponents, knowing when to check raise, etc. are useful, you can win in Omaha just by knowing what cards to play and when to fold your hand.
Why Not To Play Omaha
Omaha was described as “…the [poker] game of the future…” several years ago. I think it’s a great game; however, you will find far more hold’em available than Omaha. I believe it’s essential to play more than one game well so that you can utilize game selection. Other reasons not to play Omaha include:
- You want to play every hand. Omaha is probably the worst poker game to do this – you will be quickly separated from your money. If you play correctly, your most common action will be to fold.
- You want to make moves. Omaha is known as a river game – that is, the river card decides the winner. While this is technically true (the river tends to determine the winner), hand selection is by far the most important aspect of a winning Omaha player. Making moves is at, or near, the bottom of the list.
- You want to play in the middle limits ($10/$20 – $20/40). You’ll find plenty of low limit Omaha, and some high limit Omaha, but middle limit Omaha is, unfortunately, rare.
Conclusion
Omaha is a great game and can be a profitable one to play at the low limits. I hope you will enjoy the journey as we explore, in the next 11 lessons, some of the essential skills needed to be a winning Omaha player. In the next lesson, we will examine necessary traits of a winning Omaha player.
Beginner Articles
How is Pot Limit Omaha Different From No Limit Hold’Em
Pot Limit Omaha Hi-lo Rules
While NLH and PLO have some similarities, there are several elements that cause the games to play very differently. The strength of made hands and draws are evaluated very differently in PLO. Equity advantages are also much narrower than in NLH.
The Basic Rules of Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)
If you are completely new to PLO, read this quick primer on the rules of the game. There are some key differences compared to NLH (e.g. you have to play exactly 2 cards from your hand), so you’ll want to be up to speed.
How To Calculate The Pot In PLO
While you can always announce “Pot” and have the dealer figure it out, it’s important to know how to determine “pot” to calculate fold equity and value. You will also want to know the max potential bet size if you are re-raised.
Pot Limit Omaha Rules
Basic Pot Limit Omaha Strategy
No Limit Omaha 8 Rules
If you’re just starting out, you’ll want to have a few basic guidelines to anchor your play. In a game where the complexity of pre-flop and post-flop combinations (both yours and opponents) is increased substantially, having a solid starting strategy is a key to success.