I'll give it an ol' go.
Someone who isn't as long winded as meself needs to post up a quick 'How To' guide for peeps who want to play but are unsure of Omaha basics.
How to Play Omaha Poker - A Beginner's Guide
Texas Hold'em and Omaha Poker resemble each other in that it is a game played with five community cards but there are differences between the two games, the major difference is that the hands in Omaha are usually much better, since you get to choose from 9 cards in total.
Rules of the Game
Playing Omaha
Two "Blind" bets are put up or "Posted" to start the game. As in Texas Hold’em, the player immediately to the left of ‘dealer’ puts up or "posts" the small blind. The small blind bet is half the minimum bet.
The player to the immediate left of the small blind then posts the big blind. The big blind will equal the minimum bet;
No more money is put up to start the hand by the other players. As the button rotates around the table, each player will in turn act as the big blind, small blind and dealer.
The Game Routine – Flop, Turn, River and Showdown
When the blinds are posted, each player is then dealt four cards face down . The small blind player receives the first card, so the dealer gets the last card. Now the first betting round begins.
After that, 3 cards are dealt face up on the table. These cards (and part of play) is known as the "Flop."
These are the ‘community cards’ and can used by all the players. The next betting round will then begin with the first active player to the left of the dealer.
The Winning Hand
To find out who won, all the players are obliged to use two of his hole cards and three cards from the "Board" (forming the highest five-card hand possible). The winning hand is then determined.
Remember
In Omaha poker each player is dealt four cards, before another five cards a dealt face up on the table. This means each player has a total of 9 cards from which to form his best five card hand. But in Omaha the best five card combination Must include two cards from the hand and three cards from the table, making it a challenging and fun game.
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