Omaha Hi

Event Overview – POT LIMIT OMAHA HIGH

These rules are to be used in conjunction with ‘Robert’s Rules of Poker’. Where there is a discrepancy between these rules and Robert’s Rules of Poker, these rules shall take precedence.

Tom Brucato reserves the right to:

· Make decisions in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different ruling.

· Change these rules at any time before the first hand of the preliminary round is dealt. Any changes will be broadcast to all participants prior to the beginning of the tournament.

THE GAME

The game is Pot Limit Omaha High

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Maximum number of players - 16.

  • Minimum number of players - 3.

  • Chip Value:

    • White 25

    • Red 50

    • Green 100

    • Blue 250

    • Black 500

BUYIN/REBUY/ADD-ON

  • The initial buy-in is $50. This will purchase 4000 in tournament chips. These chips have no monetary value.

  • A player may add-on at any point in the tournament provided it is before the first hand of the fifth level is dealt.

  • Add-ons are $25 and will purchase 2000 in tournament chips.

  • Each player is allowed up to 1 (one) add-on in this tournament.

SEATING

  • Table assignment and seating will be determined prior to the start of the tournament by random drawing. (However, the tournament director reserves the right to redraw the tables).

  • Button position will be determined by the random assignment of seat #1. Seat #1 will be the first to deal.

  • If we have in excess of 10 players at the start of this event we will use two tables.

  • If the tournament began with two tables, as soon as the remaining players equal 8, we will combine the two tables and have one table of 8 players.

  • When the difference in the number of players at the two tables is greater than 1 then a player must move from the bigger table to the smaller table. The computer will randomly assign a new seat and move the player accordingly.

BLINDS

  • The two players to the left of the dealer are required to post “blind” bets before seeing their cards. The 1st is the SB and the 2nd is the BB.

  • If the SB is knocked out, the button essentially goes into his empty seat.

  • If the BB is knocked out, then the BB moves on to the player who would have had it next and there isn’t a SB on this hand (SB moves into the empty seat). On the following hand, the button would wind up in the empty seat. The player who just had the BB would have SB, and the BB moves on normally to the next player.

  • When play is down to two players, figure out who would get the BB next if nothing had happened. He will be the BB on the next hand. The SB is always on the button and the other player is the BB.

SCHEDULE FOR BLINDS

The above schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the tournament director, in an effort to complete the tournament by 2am.

The lowest denomination chip in play will be removed from the table when it is no longer needed in the blind structure. All lower denomination chips that are of sufficient quantity for a new chip will be changed up directly.

TIMER USE AND BREAKS

A timer will be used to time the blind progression. When the timer expires, it should be immediately restarted. The next hand will be dealt at the new blind level. For the purposes of this rule, a hand is considered currently in play once the all blinds are posted AND the dealer has begun shuffling (riffles the deck).

The timer is stopped during breaks. No additional hands at any table should be started during such a break although hands already in progress should be completed.

THE DEAL

The player to the right of the dealer must cut the deck before the cards are dealt.

The dealer is responsible for making sure that all bets have been called before dealing each round of card(s).

Order of the deal:

  1. Dealer deals four cards (one at a time) face down to each player.

  2. Betting round 1 occurs.

  3. Dealer burns one card and deals 3 cards (flop) in the middle of the table face up.

  4. Betting round 2 occurs.

  5. Dealer burns one card and deals one card (turn/4th Street) in the middle.

  6. Betting round 3 occurs.

  7. Dealer burns one card and deals the final card (river/5th Street).

  8. Betting round 4 occurs.

Omaha High rules

Omaha Hi is a community card game. Every player is dealt four cards face down, followed by five community cards dealt face up in the middle of the table. The five community cards may be used by every player.

Omaha Hi is played with a dealer button to mark who the dealer would be. The button rotates clockwise around the table between every hand. This is important as the "dealer" is the last to act, and thus has the greatest advantage for that hand.

Objective:

To make both your best five card high hand using exactly two hole cards, and three board cards.

Forced Bets

Blinds

Omaha Hi rules dictate that there be two forced bets every hand, called blinds. There is a small blind, and a big blind. Before the hand begins, the player to the immediate left of the dealer button is forced to post the small blind, and the player to the left of that person is forced to post the big blind. These bets count towards that player's first round bet, and are considered live, meaning the player may choose to raise even if nobody else has.

Note: In a heads up match (1 on 1), the player with the dealer button posts the small blind, and the other player posts the big blind. The player with the dealer button is the first to act before the flop, but acts after his opponent in the three betting rounds to follow.

Betting Rounds

There are four rounds of betting. A player may bet or raise any amount they wish, up to the amount that is currently in the pot. There are still minimum bets, depending on what the big blind is in that round. In addition, all bets and raises must be greater than or equal to the previous bet or raise, with the exception of a player that is raising all in. If a player does raise all in, and that bet is not greater than or equal to the previous raise, then the door is not opened for the original raiser to reraise. For example, if Player A bets 30, Player B calls, and Player C raises all in for a total less than 60, Player A would not be able to reraise that bet. When playing pot limit, the number of raises per betting round are unlimited.

1. Preflop - The player to the immediate left of the dealer button is forced to post the small blind. The player to the left of him, or two to the left of the dealer button, is forced to post the big blind. Four cards are dealt to every player face down, starting with the small blind. The action begins with the player to the immediate left of the big blind, who must decide to fold, call (by matching the big blind), or raise (not to exceed the current amount in the pot). Action proceeds clockwise around the table. The small blind may call (assuming nobody has raised). The big blind may simply check (assuming nobody has raised), as he has already put in the full size of the first round bet.

2. The Flop - Three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. In this round, and in the following two rounds, the player to the immediate left of the dealer button is the first to act. Play proceeds in a clockwise manner around the table. The minimum bet must be equal to or greater than the big blind.

3. The Turn - A fourth card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. Play proceeds as in the previous round. The minimum bet must be equal to or greater than the big blind.

4. The River - A fifth and final card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. Play proceeds as in the previous round. The minimum bet must be equal to or greater than the big blind.

Showdown - After all the action is complete, there is a showdown. All the active players (those who have cards) show their hands. The last player to bet/raise shows his cards first; the next player clockwise will show his cards second (unless it's a losing hand - he then has a choice to show or muck his cards). This will continue until the last player's cards are shown or mucked. If all the active players check on the river, then the first player to the left of the button will show his cards first and the showdown will continue in a clockwise direction. If there is a side pot, the players involved in the side pot will show their hands first under the same guidelines as above. The hand belonging to the winner of the side pot is then compared in a clockwise direction to all the hands involved in the main pot. High hand only, wins. The final poker hand is made up of the best five cards, using exactly 2 out of the 4 pocket cards and exactly 3 out 5 board cards.

There is a set rank of cards (see below), which is used for deciding the winning combination.

If two or more hands are the same ranking, the winner is the one having the higher cards. For example, a Flush with an Ace high beats a Flush with a King high. If the poker hands remain tied, then the highest card not being held in common (the kicker) determines the winner.

The suit order of the cards is not taken into account while deciding on the winning cards. Should poker hands be absolutely identical in ranking, the rule of poker pot distribution will be split evenly between the two or more winning players. If there is an odd chip, the winning player to the left of the button/dealer will receive it

After the showdown, the button is moved one player to the left, marking the new dealer's position. The blinds are now posted by the 2 players to the immediate left of the dealer button, and a new game begins.

Some standard rules:

Folding can be done at any stage of the game. The action of folding basically shows the player cards being moved to the dealer. The player from then on would not be considered as part of the game. He/she would not have any rights over any pots created on the table.

Apart from the fold option, a player could also get the option of "Check", in which the player can pass his/her turn without placing a bet. This option would not always be available to the player, and depends on the actions taken by the previous player in the hand. The player HAS TO equal the amount of bet placed by any other players for each round in the hand.

Poker is typically played "table stakes", meaning only the chips in play at the beginning of each hand may be used throughout the hand. This means that the player cannot get additional funds from the cashier while he is in the midst of a game. The table stakes rule has an application called the "All-In" rule, which states that a player cannot be forced to forfeit a hand because the player does not have enough chips to call a bet.

WINNING THE TOURNAMENT

The final player remaining, in the championship round, with all the chips will be the first prize winner. The last player eliminated will be the second prize winner; the second last player eliminated will be the third prize winner, etc... If two players get eliminated in the same hand, the person who started the hand with the most chips gets the higher finish and awarded the corresponding prize pool for that placement.