Each hand of Omaha starts with two blinds. Blinds are preliminary bets made by two players before cards are dealt for the purpose of stimulating action. If there was nothing to win, the first player to make a decision would have no reason to make a bet. The deal position is indicated by a white disk, labeled D, called the dealer button, or, simply, the button. This is the position from which the dealer would distribute cards if the dealer were one of the players. Prior to cards being distributed, the player to the left of the button puts in chips equal to (usually) half the size of the minimum bet for the game. The player to that player's left puts in chips equal to the minimum bet for the game.

When you first sit down at a table, you must wait for the big blind to arrive at your position. This happens naturally, because the button moves one position to the left (clockwise) after each hand. Alternatively, to get dealt in immediately, you can post, that is, put in a blind the same size as the big blind. If you post, you get dealt in right away and on succeeding hands.

Each player must put both a small blind and a big blind into the pot once each per round. If you ever miss the blinds in a round, you must either wait for the big blind to get to you, or post both missed blinds. This you do at one time. An amount equal to the size of the big blind is part of your bet. (It plays for you .) An amount equal to the size of the small blind becomes part of the pot and is not part of your bet. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, if you miss the blinds and do not wait for the big blind to get to you to get back into play, you would put $3 into the pot, of which $2 would be considered part of your bet when it is your turn to act on the first round, and $1 would belong to the pot to be won by the eventual winner of the pot.

When the blinds are in place, the dealer distributes four cards one at a time face down to each player, starting with the little blind. These four starting cards are called hole cards. Your hole cards appear face up on screen, but don't worry; only you can see your hole cards. Only the backs of every other player's hole cards appear on screen. Every other player has a similar view, with only his own hole cards visible.

Each player starts with four hole cards instead of two (In fact, some b&ms offer variants with five or even six hole cards, but you won't find those variants online.) Then the dealer places five cards face-up in the center of the table. These community cards are part of each player's hand, so each player has access to nine cards. Another difference between Omaha and hold'em is that each player forms a five-card hand by using only two (no more, no less, but they can be any two) of his hole cards together with only three (no more, no less, but they can be any three) of the five community cards. Many more winning combinations are possible than in hold'em. Hold'em has just one two-card starting combination; Omaha has six.

Even if you haven't had experience with Omaha, you don't have to worry which are the best cards; the software automatically chooses the best five for you when it comes time to compare hands.

For example, if your hole cards include three aces and there is one ace on the board, your best hand does not have four aces. If a pair also was on the board, your best hand would be a full house, aces full. If your fourth card was a king and the board was A Q J 10 9 of three different suits, your best hand would be an ace-high straight, the nuts for this particular flop. You make this hand by using the A K from your hand in combination with the Q J 10 on the board. (You might well split the pot, however. Anyone with K Q, K J, or K 10 among his hole cards would also have an ace-high straight.)

Omaha, as any form of poker, is about betting. Omaha has four betting rounds. The sizes of the bets depend on the structure of the game, of which Omaha has three possibilities:

• Limit game
• Pot-limit game
• No-limit game

The betting on the first round always starts with the player just to the left of the big blind. This position is sometimes called under the gun. As the first player, you have three choices. You can:

• fold
• open for the minimum (limp)
• open for a raise

You choose your action by clicking in a dialog box. If you fold at any point, your cards are removed from play and no longer appear on the screen, you are out until the next hand, and you have no further interest in the pot. If you fold, the next player has the same choices. If everyone folds, including the small blind, the pot goes to the big blind, and the next hand is dealt.

If you or anyone else opens, each succeeding player has three choices:

• fold
• call, that is, match the preceding bet
• raise, that is, increase the preceding bet

Each player in turn has the same three choices. If there has been a raise, each player who chooses to continue must either call the total bet thus far or himself raise. In any one round of betting, there can be a maximum of one bet plus three raises. When the betting (also called action ) gets to the blinds, they have the same choices. However, they already have chips in the pot, and those chips count towards their bet. For example, if, in a $2/$4 limit game, you had opened for $2, and two players had raised, the total bet would be $6. When it was the turn of the small blind, that player could fold. The player could call, by putting $5 into the pot. (He already has $1 in.) Or that player could raise, by putting $7 into the pot. This would cap the betting for that round, that is, cause it to reach the maximum. (Pot limit and No limit games have no cap on the number of bets that can be made.)

Similarly, the big blind, who already has $2 invested in the pot, gets in for $2 less. If there have been no raises when the bets gets to the big blind, that player has what is called the option. He can opt to raise, in which case each active player in turn is offered a choice of calling the raise or reraising-or folding. The big blind can also choose not to raise, which stops the betting for that round. The big blind in this option situation is known in poker parlance as a live blind.

Once the betting for the round is equalized, that is, once everyone has had an opportunity either to fold or match the total betting, the dealer deals three cards face up in the center of the table. These first three of the community cards are called the flop.

The second round of betting takes place. In this round, the betting starts with the first active player (one who still has cards) to the left of the button. If the small blind called on the first round, that player would be first to act , even though he was next-to-last on the first round of betting. Only in the first round (sometimes called the preflop round) does the betting start elsewhere. In all rounds after the first, the first player has two choices:

• check, that is, make no bet
• bet, that is, make a bet at the proper limit for that round

If no one bets, each player in turn has the same choices. It is possible in every round except the first for no betting to occur. No betting in a round is called being checked around.

If anyone bets, each succeeding player has three choices:

• fold
• call, that is, match the preceding bet
• raise, that is, increase the preceding bet

A player who checks retains his cards. If someone bets, when the action returns, a player who checked has the preceding three choices. To check and then raise when the betting returns is known, reasonably enough, as check-raising. If you check with the intention of raising, you of course risk the possibility that no one will bet.

Once the betting for the second round is equalized, that is, once everyone has had an opportunity either to check or match the total betting for the round, the dealer deals one more card face up in the center of the table. This fourth of the community cards is called the turn.

The third round of betting takes place. Again, the betting starts with the first active player to the left of the button. The betting proceeds exactly the same as the second round. In a limit game, in the third round and fourth rounds the betting usually proceeds in increments twice the size of the first two rounds.

Once the betting for the third round is equalized, the dealer deals a fifth and final card face up in the center of the table. This last community card is called the river.

The fourth and final round of betting takes place. Again, the betting starts with the first active player to the left of the button. The betting proceeds exactly the same as the two previous rounds.

Once the betting for the fourth round is equalized, the betting is over, and there is a showdown. Remaining active players show their cards and the best hand, comprised of the best five cards from among two of each player's four hole cards in combination with three of the community cards, wins. The software determines the winning hand, and awards the pot to the holder of that hand.

Sometimes a player runs out of chips before all the betting is over. In such case, one or more side pots are created, and the software awards appropriate main and side pots. When a player is all in, a bet or raise can be made that is not called, but a showdown still takes place.