How to Play Omaha Poker
For many poker players who start out learning how to play Texas hold'em, Omaha poker is⚾️ often the next game to discover.
If you are thinking to explore this poker variant and you would like to learn⚾️ how to play Omaha poker, this beginner's guide to the game gives you everything you need.
Continue reading to find:
Here we⚾️ go over the poker rules for Omaha Poker
How to Play Poker for Beginners Check out the rules and basic strategy⚾️ to all the popular poker formats Click Here
1. What is Omaha Poker?
The more you play poker, the more you keep⚾️ hearing how Omaha poker is the game to play to get the best action and challenge the best players.
In the⚾️ past 10 years or so, Omaha poker became one of the most popular poker variants. Some go as far as⚾️ to say that Omaha poker (PLO, specifically) it's on a trajectory to surpass Texas hold'em and become the most played⚾️ game in the world.
Part of the game's success has to do with its rules. Like most poker games, the basics⚾️ of Omaha poker are the same as those in Texas hold'em - meaning that if you know how to play⚾️ one, you are in a good spot to play the other.
When it comes to Omaha poker, there are different sub-variants⚾️ out there, each with its specificities and dedicated players base.
The two most popular types of Omaha poker (i.e. those you'll⚾️ find at every major poker site) are:
pot-limit Omaha ( PLO )
( ) Omaha hi-lo
This guide on how to play Omaha⚾️ poker focuses on pot-limit Omaha (PLO) poker, one of the most played games of the year and probably the easiest⚾️ version of the game to learn as a beginner.
If that's not what you are looking for or if you are⚾️ already fluent in PLO poker, you can read about Omaha hi-lo poker rules here.
2. How To Play Omaha Poker
To play⚾️ a game of Omaha poker you'll need a 52-card deck of French cards. Also, unless you are in for an⚾️ old-fashioned game with beans, buttons, and pennies, you'll need also some poker chips, a dealer button, and two blinds buttons.
A⚾️ game of Omaha poker needs two to ten players to begin.
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Like in other⚾️ poker games, the action of a hand of Omaha poker includes several betting rounds and a combination of private ('hole')⚾️ and community cards ('the board).
The first thing you want to remember when it comes to learning how to play Omaha⚾️ poker is the name of the different phases that compose a hand.
The pre-flop: The initial betting round. Some players (the⚾️ 'Blinds') are obliged to place a bet while the others can decide wether to call, fold, or raise.
The initial betting⚾️ round. Some players (the 'Blinds') are obliged to place a bet while the others can decide wether to call, fold,⚾️ or raise. The flop: The second betting round. The players still in the hand decide how to act once the⚾️ dealer places the first three community cards on the board, face up.
The second betting round. The players still in the⚾️ hand decide how to act once the dealer places the first three community cards on the board, face up. The⚾️ turn: The third betting round. The players still in the hand decide how to act once the dealer places the⚾️ one more community card on the board, face up.
The third betting round. The players still in the hand decide how⚾️ to act once the dealer places the one more community card on the board, face up. The river: The last⚾️ betting round. The players still in the hand decide how to act once the dealer places the last the five⚾️ community cards on the board, face up.
The last betting round. The players still in the hand decide how to act⚾️ once the dealer places the last the five community cards on the board, face up. The showdown: The players still⚾️ in the hand reveal their cards.
Preflop Action
The Big Blind (BB) and the Small Blind (SB) place their bets on the⚾️ table so the action can start.
The dealer distributes four cards to each player, all face down. As we will see⚾️ later, this is one of the key differences between Omaha and Texas Hold'em poker.
As soon as all the cards reached⚾️ the respective players, the first betting round begins. The first player to act is the one at the left of⚾️ the Big Blind (table position: 'Under the Gun' or UTG).
The action continues clockwise until it reaches the Big Blind.
All players⚾️ have the following options:
Call: They place a bet equal to the size of the Big Blind (or to the highest⚾️ bet that was placed before them, in case someone in the hand decided to raise).
They place a bet equal to⚾️ the size of the Big Blind (or to the highest bet that was placed before them, in case someone in⚾️ the hand decided to raise). Raise: They increase the bet making it more expensive for other players to stay in⚾️ the hand.
They increase the bet making it more expensive for other players to stay in the hand. Fold: They give⚾️ back the card and leave the hand.
The Flop
The dealer places three cards on the board, all face up. These are⚾️ the first of a series of five that the players need to use to build their final poker hand.
As soon⚾️ as the three cards are on the table, a new betting round begins.
The Flop betting round is identical to the⚾️ previous one.
The Turn
The dealer places one more card on the board, again face up. All the players still in the⚾️ hand enter a new betting round that develops exactly as the previous one.
The River
The dealer places the last community card⚾️ on the table, face up, and a new betting round follows.
If there are still two or more players in the⚾️ hand, the action continues to the final chapter (the 'Showdown). It most player fold, the hand goes to the last-one⚾️ standing.
The Showdown
The players in the hand turn their hands over, and use at most two of their hole cards in⚾️ combination with any of the five on the board to build a five-card poker hand.
The player with the highest poker⚾️ hand is the one who wins the hand and takes down the pot.
And here's where most beginners get in trouble.
Players⚾️ that are just starting to learn how to play this game and are not too familiar with the Omaha poker⚾️ rules tend to make a lot of mistakes when it comes to building five-card hands.
The most common PLO poker mistake⚾️ people make when they learn how to play Omaha poker is to forget they need to use at least two⚾️ of the four hole cards to build their final hand.
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Let's⚾️ look at one example.
A player holding A♥Q♣7♦6♦ looks at a board of 9♥4♥2♣J♥Q♥ thinking he has made the nuts with⚾️ an ace-high flush.
That's a mistake.
The Omaha poker rules do not allow you to make a hand using only one hole⚾️ card (A♥) in combination with four community cards (the four hearts on the board).
In fact, this player only has a⚾️ pair of queens, not a flush.
How to Bet in Omaha Poker
Another factor to consider when it comes to Omaha rules⚾️ is how betting works. And that's because there are some key differences between Omaha poker and Hold'em — and not⚾️ being aware of them could cost you a lot of precious chips.
Like in hold'em, the minimum bet allowed in Omaha⚾️ is always the equivalent of the big blind.
In aR$1/$2 PLO poker game, the minimum a player can bet isR$2.
However, while⚾️ in no-limit hold'em player can always bet all their chips at any point, the maximum bet allowed in PLO is⚾️ the size of the pot.
Calculating what exactly is a "pot-sized" bet can be trickier and it often needs the help⚾️ of the dealer.
If the pot isR$10 and a player is the first to act, the calculation is easy: the maximum⚾️ possible bet isR$10.
However, poker is never that easy. You need to be prepared for different types of situations and calculations⚾️ if you don't want the other players to take advantage of your lack of experience.
Let's use an example to understand⚾️ how betting works in PLO poker.
In this fictional PLO poker hand, there areR$10 in the pot when a player betsR$5.⚾️ The next player, however, decide to up their game and announce the intention to 'raise pot'.
How much is that?
Based on⚾️ the previous bets, the most that player can bet isR$25.
This number is calculated by adding theR$5 to call plus theR$20⚾️ that would be in the pot after the call ($5 +R$20 =R$25).
When you play Omaha at a casino, the dealer⚾️ will take care of the math for you should you announce you wish to bet the pot.
Things get even easier⚾️ when you play online because the calculations appear right on the screen, automatically.
3. The Hands in Omaha Poker
Pot-limit Omaha (or⚾️ "Omaha high") is known as an 'action game' which is one reason why it is popular among high-stakes players.
Since players⚾️ start with four hole cards in Omaha instead of two, they can make a much wider range of hands.
For that⚾️ reason, hand values tend to be higher in Omaha than in hold'em, with players making 'the nuts' or the highest⚾️ possible hand much more frequently.
If you think about it, in PLO players aren't dealt just a single two-card combination (as⚾️ in hold'em), but six different two-card combinations (among the four hole cards) from which to choose the best hand.
It isn't⚾️ surprising, then, that players tend to make much better hands at showdown in Omaha poker.
In Texas hold'em making two pair⚾️ or three-of-a-kind can be a very strong hand, but in Omaha there will often be better hands out there to⚾️ beat those holdings.
Let's look at two more examples.
Example 1.
Yu have been dealt 10♠9♠8♥7♥ and by the river the board is⚾️ 7♠9♥K♥J♣2♦.
Using the ten and eight in your hand along with three community cards, you have a jack-high straight.
The problem is⚾️ that any opponent holding Qx10xXxXx would complete a higher, king-high straight and defeat you.
If the betting gets heavy on the⚾️ river, that's probably exactly what is happening.
Example 2.
You hold J♠J♣9♠9♥ on a board of 9♦K♠Q♥5♦3♦.
You have a set of nines,⚾️ which would be a nice holding in Texas hold'em. But Omaha poker is a different game and there are several⚾️ hands that could beat yours.
Anyone with KxKxXxXx or QxQxXxXx would have a higher set, and an opponent with Jx10xXxXx would⚾️ have a straight.
There is also a flush possibility, meaning anyone with X♦X♦XxXx (two diamonds) would make a flush.
Due to the⚾️ nature of so many better hands, an opponent may just be calling your bets with a set of kings or⚾️ queens as they may fear a straight or flush, so even if you are not facing any immediate aggression, you⚾️ could still be beaten so proceed with caution.
4. Differences Between Omaha and Texas Hold'em?
Like hold'em, Omaha is a 'flop' game⚾️ that uses community cards.
Just like in hold'em, players are dealt their own hands face down — their 'hole cards' —⚾️ and use those cards in combination with the five community cards (the flop, turn, and river) to make five-card poker⚾️ hands.
However, there is one big difference between Omaha and hold'em.
Whereas in hold'em all the players receive two hole cards each,⚾️ in Omaha they get four hole cards.
Of those four hole cards, players must choose two to be used in combination⚾️ with three of the five community cards to build their five-card poker hands.
Yes. In a game of Omaha poker, each⚾️ player must use two of their hole cards and three of the community cards to build a poker hand.
That's different⚾️ from hold'em where players can use:
both of their hole cards (and three community cards),
just one hole card (and four community⚾️ cards),
or no hole cards (and all five community cards, which is called "playing the board").
In pot-limit Omaha, the poker hand⚾️ rankings are just the same as in Texas hold'em.
Like hold'em, pot-limit Omaha or 'PLO' poker is played as a 'high-hand'⚾️ game, which means the hands go (from best to worst):
royal flush
straight flush
four-of-a-kind
full house
flush
straight
three-of-a-kind
two pair
one pair
high-card.
Other Omaha Poker Tips
The Importance of⚾️ 'Position'
Just like in hold'em, poker positioning is an important element in Omaha.
Many consider this aspect of the game to be⚾️ even more important in Omaha poker. That's due to the the pot-limit betting format and all the combinations a player⚾️ can make with an Omaha hand.
When you have 'position' on your opponents, you can follow their actions and base your⚾️ decisions on the information you received.
When you are out of position, it becomes much harder to make the correct decisions.⚾️ The lack of information can lead to wrongful assumptions and push you to take risks that are not justified by⚾️ the value of the cards you hold.
Another benefit of being in position is that you have a better chance of⚾️ controlling the size of the pot, which is often based on the strength of your hand and your overall goal⚾️ in the pot.
Being out of position to one or more opponents gives them the ability to control the pot size⚾️ and also capitalize on the added information of knowing your actions first.
Bluffing in Omaha Poker
Because Omaha is so focused on⚾️ the nuts, it might seem like bluffing plays an important role in the game.
A player can represent a wider range⚾️ of hands in Omaha, and also open up with a bit more with so many more semi-bluffs available.
In fact, experienced⚾️ Omaha players will often bet big draws heavily on the flop, since in some cases those draws are actually mathematical⚾️ favorites versus made hands.
All of which is to say players do bluff in pot-limit Omaha, but with so many possible⚾️ hands out there you have to be judicious when deciding when it is best to bluff.
The more you learn about⚾️ the game, the easier it will become to pick up on these spots and determine how to proceed against various⚾️ opponents.
Be Wary of the Blockers
Relatedly, blockers also become much more prevalent in Omaha than in Texas hold'em.
Blockers are those cards⚾️ you hold in your hand that prevent an opponent from making a specific hand.
For example, if a board reads K♠10♠5♥2♠4♦⚾️ and you hold the A♠ in your hand but no other spades, you may not have a flush, but you⚾️ know your opponent cannot make the nut flush.
This gives you added power in the hand being able to push your⚾️ opponent off certain hands as your opponent is guaranteed to not contain the nuts.
5. Where to Play Omaha Poker Games⚾️ Online
Like you would expect for a popular game like Omaha poker, you'll find PLO games at all the major poker⚾️ sites online.
All the 'must-have' poker rooms listed below offer a very good selection of PLO games, with plenty of beginner-friendly⚾️ free games.
Pick one of them, register a free account, and use the PokerNews-exclusive welcome bonus to pay for your first⚾️ real money games of Omaha poker online.
Omaha Poker Rules FAQs
