Rules of an Omaha Poker Hand

Video Transcript

"Now, key to remember when you're playing Omaha is that your hand, once all the cards are dealt, is always two from your pocket cards--your hole cards--and three from the five card community cards--from the board. And let's make sure we drive this home. Let's say I have this as a starting hand. I played the big blind, I had this hand in the big blind, so I got to see the flop for free, and let's just say that I play it all the way through to the River, and let's look at this board here. Well, what's my hand? You know, a king was dealt on the board, and I'm holding three kings, but I don't have four kings because I can only play two of my pocket cards. So I have three kings. This is key to remember. Reading your hand in poker is essential so you know when to hold 'em and when to fold them, as the song says. Let's look at another board. Here's a board that is ace of diamonds, six of diamonds, eight of diamonds, three of diamonds, five of diamonds. Now, if we were playing Texas Hold 'Em, and I didn't have any diamonds in my hand, I would be allowed to play the board. I'd be allowed to not use my two pocket cards, and I could just play the board. But in Omaha, you must use two of your pocket cards and three of the cards on the board. So, in this case, I don't have a flush because I only hold one diamond. As a matter of fact, in this case, my hand is a pair of kings--doesn't matter which two of the three kings you use--and the three highest cards on the board, which are ace, eight, and six."