Knowing the exact rules of Omaha Hi will greatly increase your chances of winning. Many of the players that end up at the Omaha tables have no idea what they are doing and this can be a huge advantage for you. Read further to learn how to play Omaha Hi and become a master of the game.

Foreword: the betting rounds and structure of Omaha Hi is exactly the same as Texas Hold’Em. There are two major differences in the games. In Texas Hold’Em, you receive two hole cards and you make the best five card poker hand possible. That can mean using both of your cards to form a hand, using one of your cards or using zero of your cards (the best five card hand can be shown in the community cards). In Omaha Hi, you receive four hole cards and you try to make the best five card poker hand. However, and this is a big however, you MUST use two cards from your hand and you can ONLY use two cards from your hand. That means you must have two cards of the same suit to make a flush, unlike in Hold’Em when you can use just one of your cards to make a flush. This is a very important concept to understand before you hit the tables. You would be surprised how many people either don’t know this rule or forget about it when they play. It can cost you a huge amount of money if you make this elementary mistake.

Rules for Omaha Hi:

1. The dealer for the round is determined.
2. The player to the immediate left of the dealer is the small blind.
3. The player two seats to the left of the dealer is the big blind.
4. The player three seats to the left of the dealer starts the betting for the pre-flop round.
5. The betting proceeds around the table in a clockwise motional until every player have been properly accounted for.
6. The flop is then dealt (3 community cards turned face up that every player can use to make their best hand).
7. A round of betting follows with the closest player to the dealer’s left beginning the round.
8. After all players have made a decision, the turn is dealt (also known as fourth street, this is another community card turned face up that every player can use to make their best hand).
9. A round of betting follows with the closest player to the dealer’s left beginning the round.
10. After all players have made a decision, the river is dealt (also known as fifth street, this is another community card turned face up that every player can use to make their best hand).
11. A round of betting follows with the closest player to the dealer’s left beginning the round.
12. At the end, all remaining players show their cards and the best five card hand wins (remember, the winning hand MUST use two of his four cards and can ONLY use two of his four cards).