Variants of Omaha Poker

Are you looking for a fast-paced and entertaining game of poker, why not try your hand at a game of Omaha poker. Omaha is a variation derived from popular Texas Holdem poker. Though there are some variations in the rules of both the games, but fun and excitement are not compromised. To add to the variety, Omaha Poker has many variants which make it all more interesting and popular.

This article takes a look at Omaha poker and its many variants and briefly reflects on to what each variant has to offer.

Omaha (Hi): For this variant of Omaha poker rules are almost same as Texas Hold'em with a few differences. Unlike Texas Holdem poker, a player starts with 4 hole cards in Omaha as against 2 in Texas holdem poker. To make your hand you have to make use two of these cards along with the chosen cards from the board (referred to as 'community cards'). You may use no more and no less. Apart from this, the same rules apply as Texas Holdem Pot or Limit.

Omaha Hi/Lo: As in Omaha Hi the player starts with 4 hole cards and similarly the player can only use 2 of them. But in Omaha Hi Lo the big difference is that you can have a high and a low winner in each hand. The player with the "high hand" wins the high (hand rankings according to Texas Hold'em) and the player with nothing "low hand" wins the low. The pot is split evenly between the High hand and low hand. In certain cases when there is no low winner the high hand takes all.

When played competitively, Omaha poker is highly entertaining and offers Texas Hold'em fans the chance to put their poker skills to the test in a slightly different environment. It can also be just as lucrative as Texas Hold'em, especially if you play Omaha online at internet poker tournaments.

With the advances in technology, gaming and awareness, all forms of Omaha Poker are becoming more and more popular which can be seen from the increasing online poker-rooms. Most of these Web sites have all the variations of the game available whether it is Pot Limit Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Omaha Tournaments and fixed limit variations of the same games. But the point here is how to decide which Web site best suits your style of play.

The following points can be considered while looking for online poker play. Though many Web sites offer several variations of Omaha Poker, but it is important that you check whether the game you are looking to play and buy in level available to you. Also as you will be playing online, the software used for play and the graphic user interface should be user friendly. The other thing that differentiates good software from the others in online poke, is the amount of disk space it uses on your computer. Before registering for any Web site always look for the bonuses that are given on signups along with other incentives. The other thing that can be looked at is the trust and popularity of Web site. Always seek people's reviews, read online forums and news, which will give you enough idea on brand image of the Web site.