How to start playing Omaha
High
To learn how to play any kind of poker, you need to first
learn the basic poker
hand rank rules.
Omaha High poker (also known as Omaha High) is a popular poker
game in the world. There are two types of Omaha High games:
Limit Omaha High (there is a specific betting limit applied
in each game and on each round of betting)
Pot Limit Omaha High (a player can bet what is in the pot.
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The Game:
Omaha High Poker uses what is called a dealer-button to indicate
the theoretical dealer of each hand. After each hand is completed,
as with standard poker rules, the button moves clockwise to
the next active player. This player will be considered “the
dealer” for that hand. Before the start of the game,
internally the system generates a fresh deck of cards for
the hand. Most use a single deck of cards to play a hand of
poker, where a deck refers to 52 cards excluding the jokers.
Online poker rooms use what is called the Random Number Generator
(RNG) to shuffle a deck of cards for the hand.
How does it work?
The system generates a random set of numbers, which are used
to place a card of the deck in a particular position. Once
the complete deck is created, the deck is used for that particular
hand only. We shuffle the deck of cards every time we start
a hand, and the random numbers previously generated are discarded
and new ones generated before the shuffle. The RNG code has
been successfully audited by iTech Labs, and its integrity
is verified daily. iTech Labs a leading independent tester
of gaming and wagering devices, to ensure that the games operate
correctly, are fair, their outcomes are not predictable and
that the system is reliable, resilient and otherwise up to
the highest standards of software integrity.
The First round:
A fresh table starts off with the first person sitting on
the table becoming the dealer and the next player posting
a small blind. A new game on an active table starts with the
button moving clockwise to the next player. The player next
to the button / dealer is required to place a small blind.
The small blind is equal to half the lower stake. This is
a guideline for determining the blinds and not a strict rule.
At EmpirePoker the small blind is rounded down to the nearest
dollar. For example – at $5/$10 Omaha High per the formula
the small blind should be $2.5. Instead, it is rounded of
to the lower dollar, so the small blind would post $2. However,
as it is just a guideline, the amount of the small blind could
be set differently at the time of setting up the table.
The player to the left of the small blind is required to
post the big blind, equal to the lower stake limit. In a certain
scenario it is possible for more than one player to post a
big blind in a hand. This is if a new player joins a table
at which a game is already going on. The player would get
an option of placing a Big Blind at the start of the next
hand or wait for his/her turn (as decided by the movement
of the button) to place the Big Blind in turn.
All the blinds in Omaha High poker are considered live bets
and the players who posted them will have the option of checking,
calling, raising or folding when the betting returns to their
position.
After the blinds have been placed, the down cards / hole
cards are dealt to each active player. In Omaha High, 4 cards
are dealt to each of the players, after which the first betting
round starts. The player to the left of the player who placed
the big blind starts the betting for this round.
Each player will now have the option to place his or her bets
in the first round, which is set at the lower limit of the
stakes structure. For example in a $10/$20 Omaha High game,
value of each bet is $10 for the first round. When we say
the bets are limited to $10, it refers to: a Bet (single bet)
of the value of $10, so when a user places “BET”
then it is $10, “RAISE” would be $20 – includes
one additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed by
a player.
Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options
– Bet, Call and Raise. Each player will also have the
option to Fold. These options are available to each player
depending on the action taken by the previous player. The
first player (left of the Big Blind) to act (in the first
round) would get the Bet, Call and Raise options. Subsequent
players would also get the options of Call and Raise. To Call
is to bet the same as what the previous player has bet. Raise
action calls for raising whatever was the bet/call amount
of the previous player, and can be calculated based on the
value of the previous bet amount.
Every player participating in the hand should place equal
amount of bet as the previous players (includes bets, calls
and raises). Till the time all the players have placed equal
amounts in the pot, the betting will continue. There is a
limit on the amount and the number of bets a player can place
during a betting round, which also would be considered during
the hand. The numbers of bets for a particular round of betting
has been mentioned below, please refer to the section on “Standard
Rules” for the limits on the number of bets.
After the first round of betting is over, the Flop (the first
three cards of the community) is dealt. The community cards
are common to all the players participating in the hand.
The Second Round:
After the flop and in each subsequent betting round, the
first active player left of the button is first to act. The
second betting round also limits the value of bets and raises
to the lower limit of the stake structure. So in a $10/$20
value of each bet is $10 for the second round. When we say
the bets are limited to $10, it refers to: a Bet (single bet)
of the value of $10, so when a user places “BET”
then it is $10, “RAISE” would be $20 – includes
one additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed by
a player. Bets can be placed, by playing any of the following
options – Bet, Call and Raise. These options are available
to each player depending on the action taken by the previous
player. The first player placing the bet would get the Bet
option (the player left to the Button). Other players will
get the Call and Raise options only.
After this the fourth community card is dealt out –
this is known as the Turn.
The Third Round:
The third betting round starts again with the player left
to the button, and bets and raises are limited to the upper
limit of the stake structure ($10/$20 game, $20 would be the
upper stake). When we say the bets are limited to $20, it
refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value of $20, so when
a user places “BET” then it is $20, “RAISE”
would be $40 – includes one additional bet and a call
on the previous bet placed by a player. Bets can be placed
by playing any of the following options – Bet, Call
and Raise. Combinations of these options are available to
the player depending on the action taken by the previous player.
The first player placing the bet would get the Bet option
(the player left to the Button).
After this the fifth community card is dealt out –
this is known as the River.
The Fourth Round:
The fourth (and final) betting round starts again with the
player left to the button, and bets and raises are limited
to the upper limit of the stake structure ($10/$20 game, $20
would be the upper stake). When we say the bets are limited
to $20, it refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value of $20,
so when a user places “BET” then it is $20, “RAISE”
would be $40 – includes one additional bet and a call
on the previous bet placed by a player. Bets can be placed
by playing any of the following options – Bet, Call
and Raise. Combinations of these options are available to
the player depending on the action taken by the previous player.
The first player placing the bet would get the Bet option
(the player left to the Button).
Some Standard Rules
A maximum of four bets, which includes one bet, and three
raises are allowed for each betting round per player. The
term cap is used to describe the final raise in a round since
betting is then capped and no one can make another raise.
Once capped, players will have the option of calling or folding
only. Folding can be done at any stage of the game. The action
of folding basically shows the player's cards being moved
to the dealer. The player from then on would not be considered
as part of the game. He/she would not have any rights over
any pots created on the table.
Apart from the fold option, a player could also get the option
of “Check”, in which the player can pass his/her
turn without placing a bet. This option would not always be
available to the player, and depends on the actions taken
by the previous player in the hand. The player HAS TO equal
the amount of bet placed by any other player for each round
in the hand.
Poker is typically played "table stakes", meaning
only the chips in play at the beginning of each hand may be
used throughout the hand. This means that the player cannot
get additional funds from the cashier while he is in the midst
of a game. The table stakes rule has an application called
the "All-In" rule, which states that a player cannot
be forced to forfeit a hand because the player does not have
enough chips to call a bet.
Exceptions to the value of betting in
each round:
A player who does not have enough chips to call a bet is
declared All-In. The player is eligible for the portion of
the pot to the point of his final wager. All further action
involving other players takes place in a "side pot",
which is unavailable to the player who has already gone All-In.
When a player goes All-in, the pot currently at the center
of the table, which has contributions from him/her as well,
is treated as the main pot, over which the All-in player has
rights. After the player goes All-in, all the new bets are
placed in a side pot, over which only the contributing players
have rights. The All-in player does not have any rights over
the side pot. The side pot is then given to the next winning
combination.
As this is a multi player game, the players are expected
to play within a set time frame, the actions during their
turn. Players have approximately 30 seconds to play with.
Initially the player is given 10 seconds, after which there
is a timer countdown, which is displayed on the table for
20 seconds. The user goes all-in if he has contributed some
money to the pot; otherwise his hand is folded in case he/she
does not respond in time. The system is intelligent in detecting
if the player has got disconnected or not. This means if a
players gets disconnected and reconnects back and he/she has
some seconds left for his/her turn, then the player is given
an additional 20 seconds to play his/her turn. But if the
player is not able to connect back to the table before the
time elapses, then the player goes All-in. All-in basically
means that the player is in the game, but would not be an
active player (placing any bets). Whatever pot is collected
till this time is referred as the main pot, and the all-in
player has rights (if he wins) to this pot only. After this
the money that is bet on the table is added to a side pot,
over which the All-in player does not have any rights (if
he wins).
For more details on the disconnection policy at EmpirePoker,
please visit: http://www.EmpirePoker.com/games/disconnection_policy/index.html
After the final round of betting, it’s time for –
Showdown. This refers to the action of deciding who the winner
of the pot is and the displaying of the cards from all players
(though this is optional for the player, he/she need not show
the cards). Five cards of the total of hole and community
cards (two hole cards and 3 community cards) are to be used
for deciding on the winning hands.
There is a set rank of cards, which is used for deciding the
winning combination. To view the various ranks that are possible,
click here
If two or more hands are the same ranking, the winner is
the one having the higher cards. For example, a Flush with
an Ace high beats a Flush with a King high. If the poker hands
remain tied, then the highest card not being held in common
(the kicker) determines the winner.
The suit order of the cards is not taken into account while
deciding on the winning cards. EmpirePoker follow standard
rules of poker. Should poker hands be absolutely identical
in ranking, the rule of poker pot distribution will be split
evenly between the two or more winning players. If there is
an odd chip, the winning player to the left of the button/dealer
will receive it. This applies to both play money and poker
for real money.
For all the four rounds of betting, the house based on set
rules collects a commission, which is known as the rake in
poker terminology. The rules set at EmpirePoker are:
ALL LIMIT MONEY GAMES will be raked according to the chart
below:
Limit Number of Players Pot Size Rake
$0.50/$1.00 2 - 10 $5 $0.50
and $1/$2 $12 $0.75
$20 $1.00
$2/$4 2 - 3 $20 $1.00
4 - 5 $20 $1.00
thru $30 $1.50
$10/$20 $40 $2.00
6 - 10 $20 $1.00
$30 $1.50
$40 $2.00
$50 $2.50
$60 $3.00
$15/$30 2 - 3 $40 $1.00
4 - 5 $40 $1.00
thru $55 $1.50
$30/$60 $70 $2.00
6 - 10 $40 $1.00
$55 $1.50
$70 $2.00
$85 $2.50
$100 $3.00
The game play remains the same for both No-Limit and Pot-Limit
Omaha High game with a few exceptions
to the rules mentioned above:
In Limit Omaha High a maximum of four bets is allowed per
player during any betting round. This includes a (1) bet,
(2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap, but in No-Limit and
Pot-Limit there is no limit to the number of raises that a
player can make. The only criteria being that you cannot raise
yourself, (i.e. if a player bets during a betting round, then
that player would have to be raised by another player in order
for him/her to be able to re-raise). If all the other players
in the hand only call or fold, the player would not get an
option to raise, because the last raise was done by him/her.
Betting Structure for No-Limit Omaha High
Minimum raise: The raise amount must be at least as much
as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example,
if the first player to act bets $100 then the second player
must raise a minimum of $100 (total bet of $200).
Maximum eligible raise: The size of your stack (your chips
on the table)
The Betting Rules for Pot-Limit Omaha High
Minimum eligible raise: The raise amount must be at least
as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. For
example, if the first player is to bet $100 then the second
player must raise a minimum of $100 (total bet of $200).
Maximum eligible raise: The size of the pot is defined as
the total of the active Pot (which can be either the main
pot or the side pot depending on whether anyone has gone “all-in”)
plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player
must first call before raising.
As an example, if the active pot is $200 and the first player
to act in the round bets $150 and the next player calls $150,
the third player has a maximum eligible total bet of $800.
The $800 total is made up of the $150 call and $650 raise.
The $650 max raise portion is equal to the pot of $200 +
first player's $150 + second player's $150 + his own call
of $150.
Pot-Limit and No-Limit Games will be raked according to the
chart below:
No. Of players Rake per pot Max.
2-3 $0.05 for each $1.0 in Pot $1.00
4-5 $0.05 for each $1.0 in Pot $2.00
6-9 $0.05 for each $1.0 in Pot $3.00
Note: If rake is less than $0.10, rake is zero.
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