Omaha Poker – Bomb Pot

Each player is dealt four private cards (‘hole cards’) which belong only to that player. Five community cards are dealt face-up on the ‘board’. In Omaha games, all players use exactly three of the community cards together with exactly two of their hole cards to make the best five-card poker hand. No more, and no less.

Variation – Bomb Pot

Changes

In Omaha Poker variation Bomb Pot, all players place a single Big Blind bet into the pot before cards are dealt and first action begins post flop. No betting takes place pre-flop, that betting round only consists of the single big blind per player. All other rules for Omaha Poker remain unchanged.

How to Play Omaha Poker – Bomb Pot

Player Betting Options

In Omaha, as with other forms of poker, the available actions are ‘fold’, ‘check’, ‘bet’, ‘call’ or ‘raise’. Exactly which options are available depends on the action taken by the previous players. Each poker player always has the option to fold, to discard their cards and give up any interest in the pot. If nobody has yet made a bet, then a player may either check (decline to bet, but keep their cards) or bet. If a player has bet, then subsequent players can fold, call or raise. To call is to match the amount the previous player has bet. To raise is to not only match the previous bet, but to also increase it. Bets and raises in Limit games are in pre-determined amounts.

The Blinds

In Omaha, a marker called ‘the button’ or ‘the dealer button’ indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. In Bomb Pot, all players place a single big blind into the pot pre-flop.

In Limit games, the big blind is the same as the small bet. For example, in a $2/$4 Limit game the big blind is $2.

In Pot Limit and No Limit games, the games are referred to by the size of their blinds. For example, a $1/$2 game has a big blind of $2.

Depending on the exact structure of the game, each player, or an individual player, may also be required to post an ‘ante’ (another type of forced bet, posted before cards are dealt) into the pot.

Pre-Flop

Each player places a single big blind into play and each player receives his or her four hole cards. There is no further betting.

The Flop

Now, three cards are dealt face-up on the board. This is known as ‘the flop’. In Omaha, the three cards on the flop are community cards, available to all players still in the hand. Betting on the flop begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button. The betting options are similar to pre-flop, however if nobody has previously bet, players may opt to check, passing the action to the next active player clockwise. In Fixed Limit Omaha, all bets and raises occur in increments of the small bet (for example, $2 in a $2/$4 game). Betting continues until all active players (who have not folded) have placed equal bets in the pot (this includes all active players checking).

The Turn

When betting action is completed for the flop round, the ‘turn’ is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in an Omaha game. Play begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button. Another round of betting ensues. In Fixed Limit Omaha, bets and raises on the turn are in increments of the big bet (for example, $4 in a $2/$4 game). Betting continues until all active players (who have not folded) have placed equal bets in the pot (this includes all active players checking).

The River

When betting action is completed for the turn round, the ‘river’ is dealt face-up on the board. The river is the fifth and final community card in Omaha poker. Betting again begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button, and the same betting rules apply as they do for the flop and turn, as explained above.

The Showdown

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete, the last person to bet or raise shows their cards, unless there was no bet on the final round in which case the player immediately clockwise from the button shows their cards first. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. Remember: in Omaha, players must use two and only two of their four hole cards in combination with exactly three of the cards from the board. In the event of identical hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. In the event of an odd chip during the split, it is awarded to the first active player immediately clockwise from the button.

After the pot is awarded, a new Omaha poker game is ready to be played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player, blinds and antes are once again posted, and new hands are dealt to each player.

Limit, No Limit, Pot Limit Omaha – Bomb Pot

Omaha rules remain the same for Fixed Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit poker games, with a few exceptions:

• Fixed Limit Omaha

Betting in Fixed Limit Omaha is in pre-determined, structured amounts. Pre-flop and on the flop, all bets and raises are of the same amount as the big blind. On the turn and the river, the size of all bets and raises doubles. In Limit Omaha, up to four bets are allowed per player during each betting round. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap (final raise).

• No Limit Omaha

The minimum bet in No Limit Omaha is the same as the size of the big blind, but players can always bet as much as they want, up to all of their chips.

Minimum raise: In No Limit Omaha, 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 $5 then the second player must raise a minimum of $5 (total bet of $10).

Maximum raise: The size of your stack (your chips on the table).

In No Limit Omaha, there is no ‘cap’ on the number of raises allowed.

• Pot Limit Omaha

The minimum bet in Pot Limit Omaha is the same as the size of the big blind, but players can always bet up to the size of the pot.

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 $5 then the second player must raise a minimum of $5 (total bet of $10).

Maximum raise: The size of the pot, which is defined as the total of the active pot, plus all bets on the table, plus the amount the active player must first call before raising.

Example: If the size of the pot is $100, and there is no previous action on a particular betting round, a player may bet a maximum of $100. After that bet, the action moves to the next player clockwise. That player can either fold, call $100, or raise any amount between the minimum ($100 more) and the maximum. The maximum bet in this case is $400 - the raiser would first call $100, bringing the pot size to $300, and then raise $300 more, making a total bet of $400.

In Pot Limit Omaha, there is no ‘cap’ on the number of raises allowed.