Omaha is another type of community poker, like Holdem you are dealt 4 pocket cards and community cards which you share with the other players. The goal is once again to make the best hand possible out of the allotted cards. A player is dealt four pocket cards and must make a winning hand using at least two of these and three of the community cards.

Omaha Hi/Lo
Omaha Hi/lo is another popular variation of Omaha poker. The game is very similar to normal Omaha Hi, and utilizes the exact same betting and blind structures. The difference between the two games comes at showdown where the pot is split between the winning Hi hand, and the winning Lo hand.

There are three common variations of Omaha, all of which are on offer at Easy Play Poker. These are defined by their respective betting limits and are No Limit, Limit and Pot Limit.

Omaha Lo - Qualifying Low Hands

To have a qualifying low hand, you must be able to make a five card hand with an 8 or lower as its highest ranked card. Straights and flushes do not count against you when determining a low hand though, although pairs and trips do count against you.

Ranking Low Hands

To determine who has the best low hand, you start by comparing the highest card in the hand. So a hand with its highest card being an 8 would not be as good as a hand with its highest card being a 7. These hands would be referred to as an "8 low" and a "7 low" respectively.

If the two hands have the same high card, you then compare the next highest card. And if those cards have the same ranking, then you compare the next highest card, until you've compared all the cards. The worst possibly low hand you could have would be 8-7-6-5-4, and the best possible low would be A-2-3-4-5.

To determine the best possible low hand in a game with community cards, you would take the 3 lowest cards (8 or below) on the board (the community cards), then determine what the lowest 2 cards someone could have in his or her hand that wouldn't pair the board. A lot of times this will be A-2, but not always.

HOW TO PLAY OMAHA - HIGH
Omaha Poker is another type of community poker, like Holdem you are dealt both pocket cards and community card which you share with the other players. The goal is once again to make the best hand possible out of the allotted cards. A player is dealt five pocket cards and must make a winning hand using at least two of these and three of the community cards.

The variations of Omaha High on offer at Easy Play Poker are defined by their betting limits.

• Limit Omaha High (there is a specified betting limit in each game and on each round of betting)
• Pot Limit Omaha High (a player can bet what is in the pot)
• No Limit Omaha High (a player can bet all of their chips at any time)

Basic Play
Typically there are 10 steps in a complete hand of Holdem. These are;

• Blind Bets
• Deal - each player is dealt 4 cards
• First betting round
• The Flop - the first three community cards are dealt
• Second betting round
• The Turn - the fourth community card is dealt
• Third betting round
• The River - the final community card is dealt
• Final betting round
• Showdown

The Dealer Button
Omaha makes use of a small disc with a 'D' depicted on it to identify which player is the dealer. After each hand is played out, this disc and the dealer position is rotated clockwise one position. This is so the blinds and playing positions (which convey considerable advantage) are shared.

In single table tournaments the dealer is initially decided by a high card. Each player is being dealt one card face up. If there are two players with a card of equal rank, it is then determined according to suit - spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs.

The Blind Bets
The two players left of the dealer are required to post the small and big blind respectively. The small blind is half the lower stake limit; where as the big blind is equal to the lower stake limit. The big blind is also the size of the minimum bet.

Blinds are utilized to force the betting action. As a result both blinds are considered to be live bets, and hence the big blind is able to check in addition to raising the bet, calling and folding.

When a player sits down at an active table they have the option of waiting until the big blind comes around to join the play, or alternatively they can post the initial blind (called IB in the client) and joint the next dealt hand. The initial blind is equivalent to the big blind. In addition to prevent blind abuse such as players switching seats or sitting out, a player is required to post the small and big blinds upon re entry if both blinds are missed.

The obligatory posting of the blinds is to ensure fairness and to prevent players from joining in late position and then leaving before having to pay the big blind or from switching seats.

First Betting Round
After the cards have been dealt, the player sitting to the left of the big blind leads off with the first round of betting. They may call, raise the bet, or fold. To call is to bet the same as the previous player - in this instance the big blind. If a player folds their cards are mucked and they will sit out until next hand.

The Second Betting Round
The second betting round commences after the first three community cards referred to as the flop are dealt face up on the table. The second round of betting starts with the player left of the dealer (the small blind). The once again have the option to bet, check or fold. Checking is to refrain from placing a bet, and a player can only check if no bet has previously been placed in the round.

The Third Betting Round
The third betting round begins after then next community card has been dealt. This card is commonly known as the 'turn'. This betting rounds is carried out in exactly the same was as the previous round.

The Final Betting Round
The final round of betting takes place after the River, (the final community card) has been dealt. Once again it takes place in the same method and format as the previous two rounds.

The Showdown
After the final round of betting takes place, any remaining players will now display their hands to determine who wins. This starts with the player left of the dealer. If they are deemed to hold the winning hand, any subsequent players have the option to muck their cards. This means that they will throw them in and admit defeat without showing their cards.

If any players have the same hand, then the pot will be split equally amongst them.

Betting Exceptions
In a game of Limit Omaha, there is a maximum of four bets allowed per player in any given betting round - (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, (4) cap). In No Limit and Pot Limit there is no limit to the amount of bets a player may make in a given betting round.

A player is declared all in if they do not have the amount of chips required to call the bet. This player is eligible only for the portion of the pot that contains their chips. Any further bets by other players go into a side pot which any players declared all in are not able to win.