Omaha - That Other Hold'em Poker Game
Most of the attention to poker tournament play has been focused on the game of Texas Hold'em. While a majority of online poker players seem to prefer and stick with Texas Hold'em poker it is not the only hold'em poker game. Most poker rooms also offer another game of hold'em poker called Omaha. The game of Omaha Hold'em poker is similar to Texas Hold'em after the initial deal where the players receive four down cards instead of two. The single biggest difference that players will notice is that players have to use two of their four down cards when they make their best hand. The final hand MUST use two cards his/her down cards and three cards from the community cards. This means that winning hands using a combination such as three face down and two community cards or one face down and four community cards are not allowed.
To provide a change of pace for players some poker rooms offer different Omaha poker games, a 'normal' game as well as high/low (8's or better) game. The Omaha Hi-Lo game is played for a split pot where two winning hands can split the pot. One winning hand is the highest (best) hand while the other winning hand is the lowest (worst) hand. By playing different cards from their hand for each hand a player may win both pots, one combination may be the best high hand while another combination could turn out to be the best low hand. A low hand usually must 'qualify' to be considered a low hand the hand must contain five cards of eight or less in value. There will be times that no player is able to make a low hand because in an Omaha game three cards from the board must be played and three or more of the community cards might have a value greater than eight. In this case the entire pot would go to the player with the best high-hand.
Those who are just starting to play Omaha either regular and/or Hi-Lo have to keep in mind the average hand is dramatically better in Omaha than in Texas Hold'em. Your odds increase thanks to the additional face down cards you receive at the start of the game. For example, when the community cards show a pair more often than not someone can squeeze out a full house (assuming a few players are playing the hand). Regular Texas Hold'em players often have difficult time adjusting to what constitutes a 'good' hand.
All told Omaha Hold'em is a lot of fun to play. While the game does take a bit of getting used to it's well worth the effort. Omaha is exciting to play, there's a lot of betting done and with four starting cards it is often worth staying in to see the flop.
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