While Texas Hold’em is the most universally played poker game in the world, Omaha is not far behind. In fact, Omaha poker is the game of choice for many Europeans, which has certainly boosted its popularity. If you’ve ever thought of venturing into Omaha games, the transition will be a lot easier if you already have a decent knowledge of Hold’em.

After all, both Texas Hold’em and Omaha are pretty similar aside from one notable difference – Omaha players receive four hole cards instead of two. It’s also worth pointing out that Omaha players need to use exactly two hole cards and three of the five community cards to make their best five-card hand.

Once you get this aspect down, the only big thing left to do is learn the strategy differences between the two games. And while the subject of Omaha strategy is enough to fill books, the main thing you should know is that players need to play much stronger hands in Omaha because there are more hole card options available.

What’s really interesting about Omaha is that there’s also another version called Omaha Hi/Lo. The difference between regular Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo is that the Hi/Lo version sees the pot split between the high and low hands (assuming there‘s a qualifying low hand). In order for a low hand to qualify for half of the pot, all five of the cards must be “8’s or better.” Now this can be somewhat misleading because 8’s or better means none of the cards can be higher than an 8; an ace also counts towards the low hand.

The goal of Omaha Hi/Lo is to scoop the whole pot by having both the high and low hands. This being said, it’s in your best interests to focus on hands that are capable of scooping the whole pot. For example, A-2-3-4-5 is an excellent hand to play because it could win both the high and low hands.

If you’re looking for some good Omaha Hi/Lo and/or Omaha action, Carbon Poker is a great place to consider. For starters, you can earn a 150% up to $750 bonus by visiting our download page and following the directions there. In addition to the bonus, you’ll also find a variety of Omaha cash games and tournaments at Carbon.

In regards to the cash games, you’ll see full Limit, Pot-Limit and No-Limit tables in both Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo. The tournament action is highlighted by numerous Pot-Limit Omaha events, which you can find in the Carbon Poker lobby every day.