Community card poker game
Omaha hold 'em A showdown in Omaha. Player on the left wins
with Three of a kind. 🏀 Exactly two hole cards must be used. Alternative names Omaha Type
Community card poker Players 2–10 Skills Probability, psychology Cards 🏀 52 Deck French
Rank (high→low) A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Play Clockwise 🏀 Chance Medium to high
Omaha
hold 'em (also known as Omaha holdem or simply Omaha) is a community card poker game
🏀 similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make their
best hand using exactly 🏀 two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards.
The exact origin of the game is unknown, but 🏀 casino executive Robert Turner first
brought Omaha into a casino setting when he introduced the game to Bill Boyd, who
🏀 offered it as a game at the Las Vegas Golden Nugget Casino (calling it "Nugget
Hold'em").[1][2] Omaha uses a 52-card 🏀 French deck. Omaha hold 'em 8-or-better is the
"O" game featured in H.O.R.S.E.
History [ edit ]
Omaha hold 'em derives its 🏀 name from
two types of games.
"Hold'em" refers to a game using community cards that are shared by
all players. This 🏀 is opposed to draw games, where each player's hand is composed only
of concealed cards, and stud games, where each 🏀 player's unique hand contains a mix of
cards visible to the other players and concealed hole cards.
In the original Omaha
🏀 poker game, players were only dealt two hole cards and had to use both to make a hand
combined with 🏀 community cards.[3] This version of Omaha is defined in the glossary of
Super/System (under Omaha) as being interchangeable with "Tight 🏀 hold 'em". Across all
the variations of the game, the requirement of using exactly two hole cards is the only
🏀 consistent rule. The "Omaha" part of the name represents this aspect of the
game.
Explanation [ edit ]
In North American casinos, 🏀 the term "Omaha" can refer to
several poker games. The original game is also commonly known as "Omaha high". A
🏀 high-low split version called "Omaha Hi-Lo", or sometimes "Omaha eight-or-better" or
"Omaha/8", is also played. In Europe, "Omaha" still typically 🏀 refers to the high
version of the game, usually played pot-limit. Pot-limit Omaha is often abbreviated as
"PLO." Pot-limit and 🏀 no-limit Omaha eight-or-better can be found in some casinos and
online, though no-limit is rarer.[4][failed verification]
It is often said that 🏀 Omaha
is a game of "the nuts", i.e. the best possible high or low hand, because it frequently
takes "the 🏀 nuts" to win a showdown. It is also a game where between the cards in their
hand and the community 🏀 cards a player may have drawing possibilities to multiple
different types of holdings. For example, a player may have both 🏀 a draw to a flush and
a full house using different combinations of cards. At times, even seasoned players may
🏀 need additional time to figure what draws are possible for their hand.
The basic
differences between Omaha and Texas hold 'em 🏀 are these: first, each player is dealt
four hole cards instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community 🏀 cards are
identical. At showdown, each player's hand is the best five-card hand made from exactly
three of the five 🏀 cards on the board, plus exactly two of the player's own cards.
Unlike Texas hold 'em, a player cannot play 🏀 four or five of the cards on the board with
fewer than two of their own (nor can a player 🏀 play three or four of his or her hole
cards).
A maximum of eleven players can be dealt a hand in 🏀 Omaha, regardless of whether
or not burn cards are used, however Omaha is most commonly played six handed or nine
🏀 handed.
Some specific things to notice about Omaha hands are:
As in Texas hold 'em,
three or more suited cards on the 🏀 board makes a flush possible, but unlike that game, a
player always needs two of that suit in hand to 🏀 play a flush. For example, with a board
of K ♠ 9 ♠ Q ♠ Q ♥ 5 ♠ , 🏀 a player with A ♠ 2 ♥ 4 ♥ 5 ♣ cannot play a flush using the
ace as would 🏀 be possible in Texas hold 'em; the player must play two cards from in-hand
and only three from the board 🏀 (so instead, this player's best hand is two pair: Q ♠ Q ♥
5 ♠ 5 ♣ A ♠ ). 🏀 A player with 2 ♠ 3 ♠ K ♦ J ♦ can play the spade flush.
, a player with
play 🏀 a flush using the ace as would be possible in Texas hold 'em; the player must play
two cards from 🏀 in-hand and only three from the board (so instead, this player's best
hand is two pair: ). A player with 🏀 play the spade flush. The same concept applies to
straights. In Omaha, a player cannot use only one hole card 🏀 and four cards on the board
to play a straight. For example, with a board of 5 ♠ 6 ♥ 🏀 7 ♦ 8 ♥ A ♠ , a player with J
♦ J ♠ 4 ♦ 9 ♠ or J 🏀 ♦ J ♠ 9 ♦ 9 ♠ cannot play a straight. But a player with J ♦ J ♠ 4 🏀 ♦
3 ♠ can play a straight from 3 to 7;
, a player with or play a straight. But a 🏀 player
with play a straight from 3 to 7; Two pair on the board does not make a full house 🏀 for
anyone with a single matching card as it does in Texas hold 'em. For example, with a
board of 🏀 J ♠ J ♦ 9 ♦ 5 ♥ 9 ♣ , a player with a hand of A ♠ 2 🏀 ♠ J ♥ K ♦ cannot play a
full house; the player can only use the A-J to play J 🏀 ♠ J ♥ J ♦ A ♠ 9 ♣ , since they
must play three of the board cards. A 🏀 player with J ♣ 2 ♣ 9 ♠ 10 ♠ can use their J-9 to
play the full house J 🏀 ♠ J ♦ J ♣ 9 ♠ 9 ♦ (or 9 ♣ ). Likewise, a player with 10 ♠ 5 🏀 ♣ 5 ♠
2 ♣ can use their 5-5 to play the full house J ♠ J ♦ 5 ♥ 🏀 5 ♣ 5 ♠ .
, a player with a
hand of cannot play a full house; the player can only 🏀 use the to play , since they must
play three of the board cards. A player with use their to 🏀 play the full house (or ).
Likewise, a player with use their to play the full house . Likewise, with 🏀 three of a
kind on the board, a player must have a pair in hand to make a full house. 🏀 For example,
with a board of J ♠ J ♦ A ♦ J ♥ K ♣ , a player with 🏀 A ♠ 2 ♠ 3 ♥ K ♦ does not have a
full house, the player only has three jacks 🏀 with an ace-king kicker, and will lose to a
player with only a pair of deuces. This is probably the 🏀 most frequently misread hand in
Omaha. (Naturally, a person with the fourth jack in hand can make four jacks because
🏀 any other card in hand can act as the fifth card, or "kicker".)
Omaha hi-low split-8 or
better [ edit ]
A 🏀 showdown in Omaha hi-low split. Player on the left wins the low-hand
half with the nut low A-2-3-4-5, player on 🏀 the right wins the high-hand half with a
full house 5-5-5-J-J
The most valuable starting hand in Omaha hi-low split
In Omaha
🏀 hi-low split-8 or better (simply Omaha/8), each player makes a separate five-card high
hand and five-card ace-to-five low hand (eight-high 🏀 or lower to qualify), and the pot
is split between the high and low (which may be the same player). 🏀 To qualify for low, a
player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower (this is why it is 🏀 called "eight or
better"). A few casinos play with a 9-low qualifier instead, but this is rare. Each
player can 🏀 play any two of their four hole cards to make their high hand, and any two
of their four hole 🏀 cards to make their low hand. If there is no qualifying low hand,
the high hand wins (scoops) the whole 🏀 pot. This game is usually played in the fixed
limit version, although pot limit Omaha/8 is becoming more popular. A 🏀 few low-stakes
online tournaments feature no limit Omaha/8.
The brief explanation above belies the
complexity of the game, so a number 🏀 of examples will be useful here to clarify it. The
table below shows a five-card board of community cards at 🏀 the end of play, and then
lists for each player the initial private four-card hand dealt to him or her, 🏀 and the
best five-card high hand and low hand each player can play on showdown:
Board: 2 ♠ 5 ♣
10 🏀 ♥ 7 ♦ 8 ♣ Player Hand High Low Alan A ♠ 4 ♠ 5 ♥ K ♣ 5 ♥ 🏀 5 ♣ A ♠ 10 ♥ 8 ♣ 7 ♦ 5 ♣ 4 ♠
2 ♠ A ♠ Bryan A 🏀 ♥ 3 ♥ 10 ♠ 10 ♣ 10 ♠ 10 ♣ 10 ♥ 8 ♣ 7 ♦ 7 ♦ 5 🏀 ♣ 3 ♥ 2 ♠ A ♥ Chris 7 ♣ 9
♣ J ♠ Q ♠ J ♠ 10 ♥ 🏀 9 ♣ 8 ♣ 7 ♦ Cannot qualify Derek 4 ♥ 6 ♥ K ♠ K ♦ 8 ♣ 7 🏀 ♦ 6 ♥ 5 ♣ 4 ♥
7 ♦ 6 ♥ 5 ♣ 4 ♥ 2 ♠ Eve A ♦ 🏀 3 ♦ 6 ♦ 9 ♥ 10 ♥ 9 ♥ 8 ♣ 7 ♦ 6 ♦ 7 ♦ 5 ♣ 🏀 3 ♦ 2 ♠ A ♦
In the
deal above, Chris wins the high-hand half of the pot with their J-high 🏀 straight, and
Bryan and Eve split the low half (getting a quarter of the pot each) with
7-5-3-2-A.
Some specific things 🏀 to notice about Omaha/8 hands are:
In order for anyone
to qualify low, there must be at least three cards of 🏀 differing ranks 8 or below on the
board. For example, a board of K-8-J-7-5 makes low possible (the best low 🏀 hand would be
A-2 , followed by A-3 , 2-3 , etc.) A board of K-8-J-8-5 , however, cannot make 🏀 any
qualifying low (the best low hand possible would be J-8-5-2-A , which does not
qualify). Statistically, around 60% of 🏀 the time a low hand is possible.
to qualify low,
there must be at least three cards of differing ranks or 🏀 below on the board. For
example, a board of makes low possible (the best low hand would be , followed 🏀 by , ,
etc.) A board of , however, cannot make any qualifying low (the best low hand possible
would 🏀 be , which does not qualify). Statistically, around 60% of the time a low hand is
possible. Low hands often 🏀 tie, and high straights occasionally tie as well, as do, even
more rarely, full houses. In theory, it is possible 🏀 to win as little as a 14th of a pot
(though this is extraordinarily rare). Winning a quarter of the 🏀 pot is quite common,
and is called "getting quartered." One dangerous aspect of playing for the low pot is
the 🏀 concept of "counterfeiting". To illustrate, if a player has, for example, 2-3 and
two other cards in their hand and 🏀 the flop is A-6-7 , that player has flopped the "nut
low". However, if either a 2 or a 3 🏀 hit the board on the turn or the river, the hand is
"counterfeited" and the nut low hand is lost 🏀 (the player still has a much weaker low
hand however, with 3-4 , 3-5 and 4-5 making better lows). This 🏀 is why there is
significant extra value in possessing the "protected" nut low. To illustrate this, if
the player has 🏀 2-3-4 in their hand their low is protected, i.e. if a 2 or 3 hits the
board they still have 🏀 the lowest possible hand. To lose the nut low in this case either
a 2 and a 3 , a 🏀 2 and a 4 , or a 3 and a 4 would have to hit the board on the turn 🏀 and
the river (giving the nut low to a player holding 4-5 , 3-5 and 2-5 , respectively), an
unlikely 🏀 possibility. For similar reasons it is significantly better to possess the
protected nut low draw over the low draw. For 🏀 example, this could be having A-2-3 with
a flop of 7-8-9 ; any low card below 7 on the turn 🏀 or river gives the player the best
low.
and two other cards in their hand and the flop is , that 🏀 player has flopped the
"nut low". However, if either a or a hit the board on the turn or the 🏀 river, the hand
is "counterfeited" and the nut low hand is lost (the player still has a much weaker low
🏀 hand however, with , and making better lows). This is why there is significant extra
value in possessing the "protected" 🏀 nut low. To illustrate this, if the player has in
their hand their low is protected, i.e. if a or 🏀 hits the board they still have the
lowest possible hand. To lose the nut low in this case either a 🏀 and a , a and a , or a
and a would have to hit the board on the turn 🏀 and the river (giving the nut low to a
player holding , and , respectively), an unlikely possibility. For similar 🏀 reasons it
is significantly better to possess the protected nut low draw over the low draw. For
example, this could 🏀 be having with a flop of ; any low card below on the turn or river
gives the player the 🏀 best low. When four or five low cards appear on the board, it can
become very difficult to read the 🏀 low hands properly. For example, with a board of 2 ♦
6 ♥ A ♣ 5 ♣ 8 ♠ , 🏀 the hand 2 ♥ 4 ♠ 5 ♠ K ♦ is playing a 6-5-4-2-A (either their 2-4
with the board's 🏀 A-5-6 , or their 4-5 with the board's A-2-6 --either way makes the
same hand). In this situation he is 🏀 often said to be playing their "live" 4 , that is,
their 4 , plus some other low card that 🏀 matches the board but still makes a low because
the one on the board isn't needed. A player with 3 🏀 ♠ 5 ♠ 10 ♥ J ♦ is playing a "live" 3
, for a low of 6-5-3-2-A , which 🏀 makes a better low. However, a player with 3 ♣ 7 ♦ Q ♦
Q ♠ can only play 7-5-3-2-A 🏀 low; even though he has a "live" 3 , he must play two low
cards from their hand, and so 🏀 he must play their 7-3 , and cannot make a 6 -high low
hand.
, the hand is playing a (either 🏀 their with the board's , or their with the
board's --either way makes the same hand). In this situation he 🏀 is often said to be
playing their "live" , that is, their , plus some other low card that matches 🏀 the board
but still makes a low because the one on the board isn't needed. A player with is
playing 🏀 a "live" , for a low of , which makes a better low. However, a player with can
only play 🏀 low; even though he has a "live" , he must play two low cards from their
hand, and so he 🏀 must play their , and cannot make a -high low hand. Starting hands with
three or four cards of one 🏀 rank are very bad. In fact, the worst possible hand in the
game is 2 ♠ 2 ♣ 2 ♥ 🏀 2 ♦ . Since the only possible combination of two cards from this
hand is 2-2 , it is impossible 🏀 to make low. As no deuce remains to appear on the board,
it will be impossible to make three deuces 🏀 or deuces full, and anyone with any matching
card to the board will make a higher pair. Likewise, starting with 🏀 four cards of one
suit makes it less likely that you will be able to make a flush. Starting with 🏀 four
different suits yields no chance for a flush, and starting with four disconnected cards
reduces straight possibilities. Computer analysis 🏀 of the best starting hands has proven
that the best starting hand for Omaha is A-A-K-K (double suited). One favorite 🏀 starting
hand for Omaha is A-A-J-10 (double suited), because of its wider range for making the
nut straight (J-7, Q-8, 🏀 K-9, and A-10). For the Hi-Lo variation, the most valuable
starting holding is A-A-2-3 (double suited). [5]
bad. In fact, the 🏀 worst possible hand
in the game is . Since the only possible combination of two cards from this hand is 🏀 ,
it is impossible to make low. As no deuce remains to appear on the board, it will be
impossible 🏀 to make three deuces or deuces full, and anyone with any matching card to
the board will make a higher 🏀 pair. Likewise, starting with four cards of one suit makes
it likely that you will be able to make a 🏀 flush. Starting with four different suits
yields no chance for a flush, and starting with four disconnected cards reduces
straight 🏀 possibilities. Computer analysis of the best starting hands has proven that
the best starting hand for Omaha is (double suited). 🏀 One favorite starting hand for
Omaha is (double suited), because of its wider range for making the nut straight (J-7,
🏀 Q-8, K-9, and A-10). For the Hi-Lo variation, the most valuable starting holding is
(double suited). Hands to avoid tend 🏀 to contain mainly middle-ranked cards, which are
of little use for any low splits and which tend to generate lower 🏀 pairs and sets,
weaker flushes and lower straights and can be very expensive. Four of a kind is the
worst 🏀 possible starting hand in Omaha, in contrast to most other poker games, where it
is exceptionally strong. [6]
Straights and flushes 🏀 are ignored when judging low hands.
Low hand ranks from best to worst: 5-4-3-2-A (the wheel), 6-4-3-2-A, 6-5-3-2-A,
6-5-4-2-A, ..., 🏀 8-7-6-5-4. Low hands can thus be read as numbers between 54,321 and
87,654 (with the exception of any number that 🏀 has a pair, i.e. 54,322). The lowest
number that any player can make, while ordered from high card to low, 🏀 is the best
possible low hand in play. For example: 2♠ 3♣ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ wins over A♠ 2♣ 3♥ 🏀 4♣
8♠[7]
Pot-limit Omaha [ edit ]
The worst starting hand in Omaha
Pot-limit Omaha
(frequently shortened to PLO) is popular in Europe, 🏀 online, and in high-stakes "mixed
games" played in some American casinos. This variant is more often played high only,
but 🏀 can also be played high-low. To a still greater degree than in Limit Omaha Hi-Lo,
PLO is a game of 🏀 drawing, when drawing, to the nut hand.[8] Second best flushes and
straights can be, and frequently become, losing hands, especially 🏀 when a player is
willing to commit their entire stack to the pot. Furthermore, because of the
exponential growth of 🏀 the pot size in pot-limit play, seeing one of these hands to the
end can be very expensive and carry 🏀 immense reverse implied odds.
Wraps [ edit ]
In
poker, an out is any unseen card in the deck that will give 🏀 a player the best hand. A
wrap is a straight draw with nine or more outs.[9] This is called a 🏀 wrap because the
player’s hole cards are said to wrap-around the board cards. In Texas hold 'em, where
players have 🏀 two hole cards, the greatest number of straight outs possible is eight;
however, in Omaha, there are four hole cards, 🏀 which can result in straight draws which
can have up to 20 outs. An example of a twenty-out wrap is 🏀 J♥ 10♠ 7♦ 6♣ on a flop of 9♥
8♠ 2♦. To hit a straight, any of the following cards 🏀 is needed: 5♥ 5♠ 5♦ 5♣ 6♥ 6♠ 6♦ 7♥
7♠ 7♣ 10♥ 10♦ 10♣ J♠ J♦ J♣ Q♥ Q♠ 🏀 Q♦ Q♣.
Redraws [ edit ]
A desirable hand to have in
PLO is the current best hand with a redraw. For 🏀 example, if the board is Q♠ J♠ 10♥, and
the player has A♠ K♣ Q♣ Q♥, then not only do 🏀 they have the current best hand possible
(their ace-king makes the ace-high straight), but they also have a redraw with 🏀 the two
queens in their hand because if the board pairs, they will make a full house, or four
queens. 🏀 A♠ K♠ Q♣ Q♥ would be an even better hand because it has flush and royal flush
redraws as well. 🏀 In fact, with the Q♠ J♠ 10♥ board, A♠ K♠ Q♣ Q♥ is approximately an
80-20 money favorite over a 🏀 random hand containing ace-king (see freerolling). Even a
pair of queens with any two spades is better than 55-45 against 🏀 a random ace-king
hand.
Omaha Variations [ edit ]
The most common variations of Pot Limit Omaha high are
Five-card Omaha, commonly 🏀 referred as "Big O" very popular in Southeastern United
States as a home game and Six-card Omaha or 6-O which 🏀 can be found in many casinos
across the UK. Some online poker rooms support Five-card Omaha, Six-card Omaha and
Courchevel.
"Big 🏀 O" (occasionally called Five-card Omaha or 5-O) began appearing in
Southern California in 2008 and had spread to most of 🏀 the card rooms in the area by the
end of the year.[citation needed]
Sometimes the high-low split game is played with 🏀 a 9
or a 7-high qualifier instead of 8-high. It can also be played with five cards dealt to
each 🏀 player instead of four. In that case, the same rules for making a hand apply:
exactly two from the player's 🏀 hand, and exactly three from the board.
Courchevel [ edit
]
Courchevel is named after the high-end ski resort in the French 🏀 Alps. According to
the urban legend, bored tourists wanted to play a version of poker no-one has ever
played before, 🏀 so they came up with this game. The place where Courchevel was most
commonly played was the Aviation Club de 🏀 France in Paris. That casino is now
closed.[10]
In the game of Courchevel,[11] players are dealt five hole cards rather
than 🏀 four. Simultaneously, the first community card is dealt. Following an opening
round of betting, two additional community cards are dealt, 🏀 creating a 3-card flop,
where the structure of the game is then identical to standard Omaha. Still, exactly two
of 🏀 the five hole cards must be used. Courchevel is popular in France but its popularity
has expanded in other parts 🏀 of Europe, particularly the United Kingdom. Courchevel is
also available in a hi-low 8 or better variety, and while Courchevel 🏀 is rarely offered
on any of the major online poker sites, as of 2024, hi-low sit-and-go games at the
micro 🏀 stakes level can be found taking place several times a day on Pokerstars, which
had the game since 2013.[12]
See also 🏀 [ edit ]
