Omaha Hi poker is a community poker game closest in style to the popular Texas Hold 'em Poker. in Omaha however, players are dealt 4 down cards instead of 2. There are several variations of Omaha poker and different poker rooms may adhere to any of their rules. For the sake of this description, we'll assume a basic fixed limit game...

Play procedes as follows:

1) Ante - In tournament games of Omaha Hi it is often ruled that an ante must be placed into the pot by all players. This is usually a nominal amount, typically around 1/10th of the low stake amount and does not count towards any further bets.

2) Blinds - Omaha requires players to post blinds before the deal to ensure there is always something to play for in each hand. The player closest to the dealer's left places half the minimum stake amount (the small blind) whilst the player on his left places the full stake into the pot (the big blind).

3) The Deal - After the blinds have been played, the dealer shuffles the deck and deals 4 cards face down to all players. These four cards are the players' own cards and will not be shown to any other players.

4) Betting Rounds - There are four betting rounds in Omaha Hi poker. In a fixed limit game the first two rounds are played at the lower limit, with raises increasing the bet by incremements of that minimum stake to a maximum of three times. In the latter two rounds the upper limit is used, again for a maximum of three raises per round.

5) Betting Round 1 - The first round of betting precedes the flop. Players bet on the quality of their down cards without having observed any of the community cards. Players may check, fold, raise or call as their cards dictate.

6) The Flop - Following the close of betting round 1, the dealer burns the top card on the deck (discards it) and deals 3 community cards face up in the middle of the table. These cards are for the use of all players.

7) Betting Round 2 - A second round of betting follows the flop. Players should now be betting on a combination of their down cards and the cards on the board. Once more, players may check, raise, fold or call as they desire with raises being limited to 3 again.

8) The Turn - The next stage is the the dealer to place a fourth community card face up on the table - the "turn card" - followed by another round of betting, now with the minimum bet being raised to increments of the upper stake level.

9) The River - The fifth and final community card is dealt and a new and final round of betting ensues.

10) The Showdown - The final showdown is between all players left in the game by the end of the last betting round. Players must show their cards and form the best hand possible from the combination of their down cards and the board cards.

11) Winning Omaha Hi - Although each player has 4 down cards they may only use 2 of them along with 3 of the community cards. The winner of the pot will be the player with the best hand comprised of 2 cards from his/her down cards and 3 from the community cards. Hand rankings are the usual poker hands shown here.