Have you heard of Omaha poker?

Meta: You might know Texas Hold’em quite well, but have you ever heard of a game called Omaha? This is a popular alternative poker variant loved by many.

Poker is a game that prides itself on its own diversity. For a newcomer, they will be surprised to see just how many variations of poker are available to their consumers. Online casinos have a variety of poker games from the most popular in Texas Hold’em to Follow the queen. Texas Hold’em has been understandably a strong favourite amongst poker players as the simplicity of the games makes it easier for high rollers to enter and try their luck. However, with the increasing popularity of poker variations such as Omaha poker, can poker players across the world be persuaded to switch their allegiance?

The history of Omaha poker

The longer you play the simple game of poker, the more you will hear about Omaha poker. The variation of poker has been one of the fastest-growing - in terms of popularity –in recent years and continues to go beyond what anyone expected. Some pro poker players are going as far as saying that this variation could surpass the ever-loved Texas Hold’em as the most played poker game in the world.

This is not an outrageous shout as the game basics for both Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker are extremely alike, meaning if you know how to play one, you should, in theory, know how to play the other. Many online sites such as GGPoker (ggpoker.com) are seeing Omaha poker traffic increase month on month.

Different variations of Omaha poker exist, and they typically come in the form of pot-limit Omaha (PLO) and Omaha Hi-Lo.

How to play Omaha poker

Simple rules apply when attempting to play a game of Omaha Poker, firstly, you will need a 52-card deck with poker chips, a dealer button and two blind buttons. There must be a minimum of 2 players to begin and a maximum of 10 can participate.

Prior to playing your first game of Omaha poker, you want to understand the different phases that create a hand.

· The preflop – The opening round. This is where some players must place a bet and others have the option to either call, fold or raise depending on the strategy they are going with.

· The flop – The next round. Once the dealer has revealed the first three cards on board, it is then time for the players to decide on their next move.

· The turn – The third round. One more card has been revealed to the players and they must decide once again how to act upon this.

· The river – The final betting round. All five cards are now on the table and as a final act, the players must strategize what their move will be and how strong they believe their hand is.

· The showdown – All players now reveal their hands and it is only fate that is left.

Differences between Omaha and Texas Hold’em

Although there are many similarities between Omaha and Texas Hold’em such as they both use community cards and are classed as a ‘flop game’. In both games, the players are dealt their hands ‘face down’, they also both use the same five community card approach - the flop, turn, and river to ensure five-card poker hands.

There is one difference that is crucial to split the games though. The big difference is that in a game of Omaha poker you will receive 4 ‘hole’ cards compared to the 2 you receive in Texas Hold’em. Out of the 4 cards that are distributed, players must choose 2 of them to be and allow them to be used to add in with the 3 community cards to allow a build-up of a 5-poker hand.

Give it a try for yourself today! Omaha is an interesting game loved by players the world over!