Poker enjoyed a huge boom in 2003, and has continued to grow in popularity worldwide. Most of the new players have been playing Texas Holdem variations of poker for the last five years. But once they play holdem long enough, they start to look at other variations of poker to break up the boredom. The natural progression is to play Omaha next. The rules are the same as holdem, other than the fact that you have four cards to play instead of two.

It’s been long enough into the poker boom now that many new poker players are expanding the versions of poker they play. Omaha action is on the rise both online and in live events. This year’s $1500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament at the WSOP had 758 entrants, compared to 158 entrants in 2006. Omaha hi/low split is also increasing in popularity, with tournament fields bigger than ever.