How to Play Omaha

If you're seeking to learn how to play Omaha Poker, you might already have a rough idea of what the game entails. But just in case, let's briefly introduce what Omaha is all about before discussing the rules.

Omaha shares similarities with Texas Hold'em, which makes it a natural transition after learning the Cadillac of Poker. For instance, it uses five community cards, and the hand rankings are the same as in Texas Hold'em.

Actually, there are only two real differences between how to play Omaha Poker and Texas Hold'em. First, each player receives four hole cards. Second, when forming the final five-card poker hand, you are forced to use two of your hole cards.

In Texas Hold'em, you can use all five community cards to 'play the board.' You can also use just one hole card. But Omaha rules explicitly state that you must use two cards from your initial hand.

The exact historical origin of Omaha (or Omaha Hold'em) is not clear. However, a game known as Greek Hold'em, which later became known as Greek Poker, was hosted by the Greek Club in Memphis at some point in the 1960s. The rules of this particular poker game were the same as Texas Hold'em, except you had to use two hole cards to form a hand.

In the mid to late 1970s, Greek Poker was introduced to the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. It's believed that the casino's general manager, Bill Boyd, discovered this game through professional poker player Robert Turner. By the early 1980s, the casino management changed the rules, opting to deal four hole cards instead of two.