Number of players: 2-10

Initial Deal: Four cards are dealt face down to each player. Community cards will be dealt face down in the middle of the table during each round, to a total of five.

The Play: Identical to Texas Hold'em but the final hands must include two of the players four cards and three of the table's five community cards. However, Omaha can be played two ways: high or high-low split. When played high-low, the low hand cannot be higher than an 8. When played this way the game is often called Omaha 8 high-low split.

Strategy: Know the rules for splitting the pot, and earn the following point in mind:

• You need a strong high pair in the pocket to stay
• You need a pocket ace-2 to stay
• Fold if you don't have four cards that are 6 or lower
• Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5 is the perfect low hand, plus a high straight hand
• Three of a kind in your hand is not a good hand
• Evaluate your hand before the flop and decide whether it's worth calling or raising
• After the flop, consider the odds of seeing additional good cards
• After the fourth and fifth cards, basic poker skills come into play

*The same as a hole card, a poker card is one that is face down and not seen by the other players. Two aces in the hole are sometimes referred to as "pocket rockets."

Showdown: Players make their best five-card hand using two cards in their hand and three from the table. When playing omaha 8, players declare in betting order if they are playing "high," "low," or "both."

Determining winner: Highest five-card hand. When playing Omaha 8, the high and low hands split the pot evenly, but the low hand must be no higher than 8, or else the high hand gets it all. When a player declares "both," he can use all four of his cards, splitting them into two groups to form a high hand and a low hand.