How to Play Poker

Omaha games

Pot Limit Omaha

Four secret cards instead of two, and you must use exactly two of them. The biggest bet you can make is the size of the pot.

  • Ace of hearts
  • Ace of diamonds
  • Jack of clubs
  • Five of hearts
Your cards
4, face down
Shared cards
5 in the middle
Betting
Pot limit
Who wins
Best high hand
In the mix
8-Game

What you get

Your cardsFour, only you see them
  • Ace of hearts
  • King of hearts
  • Eight of clubs
  • Three of diamonds
The boardFive, shared
  • Queen of hearts
  • Seven of hearts
  • Two of hearts
  • Jack of spades
  • Nine of clubs
The deal is Hold'em's: blinds, then the flop, the turn and the river, with betting after each.

The golden rule: exactly two

Your hand is always exactly two of your four cards plus exactly three from the board. Not one of yours, not three: two.

Your cards
  • Ace of hearts, plays
  • King of hearts, plays
  • Eight of clubs, does not play
  • Three of diamonds, does not play
The board
  • Queen of hearts, plays
  • Seven of hearts, plays
  • Two of hearts, plays
  • Jack of spades, does not play
  • Nine of clubs, does not play
  • Plays in the hand
  • Does not play
Two hearts from your hand and three from the board make a flush. This works.
Your cards
  • King of spades
  • Queen of hearts
  • Jack of diamonds
  • Ten of clubs
The board
  • Ace of spades
  • Nine of spades
  • Seven of spades
  • Four of spades
  • Two of diamonds
Four spades on the board and a spade in your hand, but no flush. You must use two of your own cards, and you only hold one spade.

Pot limit: how big can you bet?

If nobody has bet yet, the most you can bet is what is already in the pot. If someone has bet, a pot-sized raise works in two moves: first you pretend to call, then you raise by everything that is in the pot now.

  1. The pot is $10

    Ana bets $5. There is now $15 in the middle.

  2. Ben pretends to call

    Calling is $5 more, which would make the pot $20.

  3. Ben raises the pot

    He can raise by that $20. In total he puts in $25: $5 to call and $20 more.

A quick shortcut

Three times the bet, plus what was in the pot before it: 3 × $5 + $10 = $25. Before the flop, the blinds count as bets: in a $1/$2 game the first player in can raise to $7.

Who wins

Board
  • Ace of spades
  • Eight of spades
  • Six of spades
  • Three of diamonds
  • Queen of clubs

  • Ivy

    • Ace of hearts
    • Ace of diamonds
    • Jack of clubs
    • Five of hearts
    • Ace of hearts
    • Ace of diamonds
    • Ace of spades
    • Queen of clubs
    • Eight of spades

    Three aces

    Wins the pot

  • Tom

    • Ace of clubs
    • King of spades
    • King of hearts
    • Ten of diamonds
    • Ace of clubs
    • King of hearts
    • Ace of spades
    • Queen of clubs
    • Eight of spades

    A pair of aces

Tom has only one spade in his hand, so the three spades on the board give him no flush.