Omaha – Lazy Rivers

Lazy Rivers is an Omaha Variant where each player is dealt four hole-cards. Because this is Omaha, you will still only be able to use exactly two cards from your hand and three from the board to make your best five-card hand.

Play begins as normal in Lazy Rivers all the way through the turn. The only change from regular Omaha takes place on the River. Once betting is complete on the turn, the dealer will burn a card and then deal every player that has an active hand an individual, face-up (but private), river card. Players must leave it face-up on the table. This card will complete the five-card board for each individual player. They must use exactly two of their four hole-cards, and exactly three of the board cards, which can include any of the four community cards and their own, personal river card. All other rules for Omaha Poker remain unchanged.

How it’s Dealt:
Pre-flop: At the start of each hand, players are dealt all their hole cards at once followed by a round of betting.
The Flop: After the pre-flop action is complete, three community cards are dealt followed by another round of betting.
The Turn: After action on the flop is complete, a fourth community card is dealt followed by a round of betting.
The River: When betting action is completed for the turn round, the ‘river’ or ‘Fifth Street’ is dealt individually, face-up, to each remaining player. This card is an individual, private card and must remain face-up on the table in front of each player. This leaves each player with four community cards on the board, a personal river card, and four hole-cards in their hand. Betting round begins again, as normal.

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. If no player bet on the River, 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 hole cards in combination with exactly three of the cards from the board. In the event of identical winning 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 – the player in the worst position.