Omaha Review

USAPlayers.com Online Poker Online Poker Games Omaha Review

Omaha Hold 'Em, or simply Omaha, is another exciting way to play the game of poker. Omaha is played similar to Texas Hold 'Em, with one little twist. Like in Texas Hold 'em, you are given a pocket of cards that only you can see. Instead of the two cards you recieve in Texas Hold 'Em, you are given four cards in Omaha. Another major difference between Texas Hold 'Em and Omaha Hold 'Em is that you MUST use two of the four cards in your pocket and three of the community cards. This restriction can make it easier or more difficult for you to win depending on your luck and play style.

How To Play Omaha

Omaha forces you into chaotic string of luck due to the concept of using exactly two cards from your hand and exactly three of the community cards. With these rules in play, it is not uncommon for USA Poker players to misread and assume their opposition is holding a better hand then they could possibly hope to play in Omaha. For instance, if there is a three of a kind in play and you are building toward a full house (a full house being three of one value and two of another value, viz three jacks and two twos) you must carry the two of a kind in your hand in order to attain the full house. However, if there happened to be a three of a kind and another card that carries the same value as one card in your hand, for instance three jacks and a two on the community card and a two, three, four, and five in your hand, then you would be ineligible for a full house. On the other hand, if there was three jacks, and a two in the community cards as well as a jack and a two in your hand, you could qualify for a full house using two of the jacks and a two on the table and a jack and a two from your hand. With these rules the way they are, you can easily bluff a higher hand than that of which you carry, or blunder your way to a losing hand due to a lack of strategy, luck, or foresight.

Omaha Hand Rankings

The winning combinations in Online Omaha Hold 'Em are the same as any other poker game you would play at online poker rooms, or in poker games at USA Casinos. A two of a kind is the lowest rung of victory, followed by a two pair. A three of a kind follows in suit, with the straight right infront of it. A straight is five sequential values in a row - a 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 would be an example of a straight. Having a 5, 7 and, 9 in the community cards and a 6 and 8 in your hand would make the cut for a straight. After the straight comes the flush, five cards of the same suit. Flushes preceed the full house, which was explained in the previous paragraph. After the full house you have the four of a kind, then the straight flush - a self explainitory mixture of the straight and the flush. The best possible hand to have in any poker game is the Royal Flush. A Royal Flush is a twice in a life time kind of thing - to have a Royal Flush is to have the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of all the same suit. While the odds are against you, the Royal Flush typically carries a bigger yield on winnings than any other hand. The odds, expressed numerically, are approxiamtely .00154%, Good luck.

Playing Omaha

The flow of a round of Omaha is as follows. After the cards are shuffled, you are first dealt your hand of four. There is a small round of betting which everyone must ante into to stay in the game. After the first round of betting, one card is "burned", or rather set aside face down, and the next three cards are laid out to be the first three community cards. These cards are called the flop. After the flop there is another round of betting during which again everyone must check, call, or raise, to stay in the game. In order to even have the option to check, the first person allowed to bet (usually to the left of the dealer) must check, and every subsequenty player after he or she must also check. If anyone bets, or raises, then all players must fold (forfeit their hand), meet, or exceed that bet. After all bets are in and of equal amounts, another card is burned and the Turn, the fourth communal card, is placed into play. Another round of betting commences, followed by one more burnt card and the River - the fifth and final card added to the community cards. All players who have not folded must ante up and form their winning hands. The winner is then determined, and to the victor goes the spoils.

Variations Of Omaha

Omaha is a fairly straight to the point game with variances that add to the increasingly unlikely event of the higher scoring combonations emerging. You can usually find every variation at the Best USA Poker Rooms. Omaha, like every other variant of poker, relies on the players ability to use guile and bluff his way into the winner's circle. One of the major variants of Omaha is called "Omaha Hi-Lo". In Omaha Hi-Lo, there can be two winners. Players must build the highest hand possible using any three community cards, and any two pocket cards, as well as the lowest possible hand using, again, any three community cards and any two pocket cards. The "high" set is the eight through the Ace, and the "low" set is determined using the Ace up to the eight. One must remember that The ace can count as eleven as well as one, with the Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) being equivalant to ten. This usually ends with the pot being split, and in some cases, one player can have both the high hand and the low hand.

Omaha or Texas Holdem

As you have read, Omaha can be a very exciting way to play poker. Infact, I would not suggest Omaha to anyone who wants a free ride or an easy trip to a win. Typically, you have to work for the winning hand and depend even more so on luck than you would in other variants of poker. Omaha Hold 'Em, like it's sister game, Texas Hold 'Em, caters to the individual players tastes on how they want to play the game of poker. Texas Hold 'Em, while quicker and easier, requires far less strategy then Omaha Hold 'Em, and this fact should definately be remembered when choosing which type of poker game you'd like to play.

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