Omaha Poker

Online Poker is one of the most celebrated card games in the world. People have been playing it for centuries. The basic rules of Omaha poker online are simple, but over time people have adapted them for what they felt was more fun. That’s why you will find different tables offering unique spins on the game.

Omaha Poker is one of these variants. It is available at most Canadian online casino sites and is one of the easiest variants to learn. If you have ever been interested in it, now’s your chance! Keep reading on to learn all about how to play Omaha Poker, the best Omaha Poker strategy, and some tips and tricks for winning.

How to Play Real Money Omaha Poker

Many people visit Casinos to have fun. However, you can also make a lot of real money as well.

Some people prefer to play by themselves and test their own luck. However, others have a more competitive spirit and need to beat other players. If you are one of the latter, then this is the perfect game for you. When money’s involved, it’ll raise the stakes and give you even greater thrills.

Besides, most forms of entertainment cost some money. Casino gaming and Omaha poker are one of the few ways to have fun and actually come out with more money than you started.

There are usually no Omaha Poker free games, except for those earned with bonuses. To play Omaha Canada online poker, you will have to place an Ante bet with real money.

Texas Hold’em VS Omaha Poker

These two might just be the most played variants of the game one can find at casinos. So, what are the key distinguishing factors?

• Hand Size. Texas Hold’em gives out a couple of cards to everyone at the table. These two are private to their owner. In Omaha, each player gets twice that many cards.
• Hand and Community Restrictions. The first variant is relaxed when it comes to setting up the Poker hand. Players can use both, one or none of the cards in their hand. By contrast, under Omaha rules, only exactly two cards from the hand are allowed – no more, no less – regardless of the other cards in play.

Omaha Poker Hands

Under Omaha rules, the hands are essentially the same as other types of Poker.

Straight Flush

The top hand there is. Getting a Straight Flush involves getting five consecutively valued cards from the same suite. A Straight Flush can be beaten by another Straight Flush with a higher value card, or a Royal Flush.

Four of a Kind

The same value cards from all four suites in one hand. An example – four ‘10’s is a Four of a Kind. It is only beaten by a higher value Four-of-a-Kind or by a Straight Flush.

Full House

A pair of one card and a three-of-a-kind of a different card. The Full House is beaten by a Four of a Kind or Straight Flush.

Flush

Any combination of five cards, as long as they are all from the same suite. That means all five of the cards must be from one of Hearts, Spades, Club or Diamonds.

Straight

Five consecutive cards in sequence. Unlike the Straight Flush, they can be from different suites. A Flush is beaten by a Full House. An example of a Flush would be Hearts 2, Diamond 3, Hearts 4, Club 5, and Spade 6.

Three of a Kind

One of the simplest hands – three cards with the same value. They do not have to be from the same suite.

Two Pair

A pair of pairs, so to speak. A Two Pair has two unique Pairs of cards with the same value. When two Two Pair hands are tied, the one with the highest value in a pair Wins.

Pair

Undeniably the weakest, or second weakest if we count High Card, hand in Omaha Poker. A pair is simply two of the same value cards in one hand together.

Best Omaha Poker Sites

There are tons of online casinos and gambling sites for Omaha Poker in Canada. However, not all of them are on the same level. You should only choose trustworthy, reliable and high-quality sites when you play Omaha Poker online free games.

There are a few different factors to consider before selecting a casino with an Omaha table.

• License and Reliability. This is to check whether the casino is trustworthy or not. It should be licensed by a reputable authority such as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, etc.
• Banking Options. The casino should support a wide range of banking options. This will allow everyone to play there, and not just the people with a bank account or credit card.
• Game Variety. The casino should have a variety of Poker games, not just Omaha. A big portfolio with a lot of Slots, Roulette, Blackjack and other games is a positive factor.
• Payout Speed. You don’t want to be waiting forever to collect your winnings. The payouts will be transferred within 1 day in the ideal situation, and within 3 days at most.
• Mobile Experience. Almost every casino offers a mobile version or an app, but the user experience is not always consistent. If you want to play Poker on the go, choose a casino that has a good mobile version with most games available.

How to Play Omaha Online Poker

At first glance, Poker feels intimidating. You see a bunch of players sitting around a table, stony-faced, holding cards in their hands. But in reality, Omaha rules are quite easy to grasp especially with practice.

1. Join a game of Omaha Poker online by placing the ante bet.
2. The dealer deals out cards. You will get four Hole cards in hand. Before the community cards are dealt, you will have a chance to Raise or Fold.
3. The community cards are dealt out one by one. All the players at the table also get a chance to raise or fold during this part.
4. If there is only one player left who has not folded, they get the whole pot winnings. Otherwise, after five community cards have been dealt out, the showdown begins.
5. Anyone still in the game reveals their strongest Poker Hands. Keep in mind that the hand must be made up of any two cards from the hand and any three cards from the five community cards. The number of hand and community cards is fixed and cannot change.
6. The highest value hand wins the Showdown. The winner from this stage takes the whole pot. The game begins all over again from Step 2.

Omaha Poker Game Variations

Even though Omaha Poker itself is a variant of Poker, there are some variants of it. The four most common versions of Omaha rules you will encounter are Pot-Limit, No-Limit, Hi-Lo and Five-Card Omaha.

Pot Limit Omaha Poker

Probably the most popular version of Omaha Poker. The player’s bet is limited by the pot amount. A player can only raise an amount equal to or less than the pot.

No Limit Omaha Poker

Basically the opposite of Pot Limit. There is no limit to how much the pot can be raised. This version of Omaha poker is best for competitive and high roller players.

Omaha Hi-Lo

Similar to other Hi-Lo games, this involves making two hands rather than just one – a “high” hand and a ‘low’ hand.

Five-Card Omaha

Five Card Omaha plays similarly to normal Omaha Poker, with a very small difference. You get five hole cards rather than four. This opens up more possibilities for winning poker hands.

Omaha Poker Strategy

Even if Poker is a simple game, it’s not so easy to win. Fortunately for you, we have some tips, tricks and strategies beginners are bound to find useful. With an Omaha poker strategy, you can dramatically improve your odds of winning.

Firstly, play cautiously and be patient. It is harder to make risky plays in this variant since only three community cards are allowed. If you do not have a good hand, it’s better to fold early.

Bluffing is not a common strategy in Omaha poker. So if a player seems to be confident, it’s likely because they genuinely have a strong hand.

Try to aim for hands with all useful cards. Since there are four cards in the starting hand, the best case scenario is that all of them are linked to one or more other hole cards. Then you will have a lot of options for the final hand.

Glossary

• Bare Aces – Two aces of different suites and no other useful cards. This is one of the less effective hands in Omaha Poker.
• Bare Ace Bluff – Pretending to have bare aces, but actually having a stronger hand.
• Bet The Pot – Bet the maximum amount possible, while assuming your opponent will also do the same.
• Hole Cards – The cards a player has in their hands. These cards are hidden from the rest of the table.
• Community Cards – A set of public cards, shared by all the players on the table.
• Flop – The round when the first three community cards are placed on the table.
• Turn – The second round is when the fourth community card is placed.
• Pot – The total amount of money wagered by all the players.
• Pot Odds – The odds of winning money based on the pot size and your current hand.
• River – The final round is when the last community card is placed. This can make or break a winning hand.

How to Win at Omaha Poker

There is no guaranteed way to win at Omaha Poker. But you can make use of some hints and tips to win more money:

1. Play to your means. Don’t play no-limits games if you have a smaller bankroll.
2. Look up Omaha Poker odds and try to calculate them.
3. Don’t play when you are tired. You are liable to give away more information accidentally or make a bad decision.
4. Use a betting strategy to minimize losses and maximize wins.

Adam Lane

Site Editor at CasinoHEX Canada

Adam is an editor at CasinoHEX Canada. He checks dozens of online casinos daily. Adam’s career as a professional gambler started almost 10 years ago.

• LinkedIn