Champion of Poker

Recently, I was playing Omaha Poker and a strange hand came up. I had the Ah-Qd-10d-9c and the board ran out Kh-Qh-Jh-10h-3c. We were playing “pot-limit” and it took a bit longer to put my chips in, but my opponent kept raising until I was all-in. He showed, 9h-8h-7c-6c and declared Straight Flush. I showed my hand and declared a Royal Flush.

The table then erupted and told me that I only had a straight. If you look at the board I had Ah-Kh-Qh-Jh-10h. The players at the table told me that I could only use three cards on the board. Nobody had told me this, and so I assumed that they were trying to cheat me out of my money. I immediately asked for my money back and they told me that I had lost fair and square. After a few choice words and a near fist fight, I had to leave the game.

Was I cheated here?

Joe

Joe,

You need to learn the rules of any game that you play before you sit down. In Omaha Poker, you make your best five card hand with two cards in your hand and three cards on the board. You are REQUIRED to use two cards in your hand and ONLY three on the board. Based on the cards in your hand and the board cards, you had an ace high straight only. Your opponent did indeed hold a Straight Flush.

You were not cheated. You failed to learn the rules and it cost you. However, do not feel bad. I actually made the exact same mistake as you when I first started playing Omaha. I thought I have a Straight Flush and raised like mad and then lost to a Full House. It was a computer game and I thought the game had malfunctioned. I then learned I just didn’t know how to read my hand.