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
Is Omaha Poker the same as Texas Hold'em?
No, Omaha Poker💶 and Texas Hold'em are distinct poker variants. In Omaha, players are
dealt four hole cards instead of two. How is💶 Omaha Poker played? Omaha Poker is played
similarly to Texas Hold'em, with the main difference being that players use two💶 of
their four hole cards and three of the five community cards to make the best hand. What
are the💶 starting hands to play in Omaha? Good starting hands in Omaha typically include
those with connected cards and high potential.💶 Hands with pairs and coordinated suits
are often preferred. What is the best strategy for playing Omaha Poker? A successful
💶 Omaha strategy involves understanding the importance of starting hands, position, and
adapting to community cards. Players need to be mindful💶 of potential high hands. How
does the betting work in Omaha Poker? Omaha Poker features betting rounds similar to
Texas💶 Hold'em. Players can check, bet, raise, or fold during each round, and the game
includes pre-flop, flop, turn, and river.💶 Can I play Omaha Poker online for real money?
Yes, many online poker platforms offer Omaha Poker games for real💶 money. Ensure you
choose a reputable and licensed platform for a secure gaming experience. What are the
common mistakes to💶 avoid in Omaha Poker? Common mistakes include overvaluing hands that
are only strong for high, neglecting the importance of community💶 cards, and not
adjusting strategies based on the game variant (Omaha Hi). Do you burn cards in Omaha
Poker? No,💶 in Omaha Poker, it is not common practice to burn cards. Burning cards,
which involves discarding the top card from💶 the deck before dealing the community
cards, is a procedure often followed in some variations of Texas Hold'em to prevent
💶 cheating or card marking. However, Omaha Poker typically does not include this
practice. In Omaha, each player receives four hole💶 cards, and the community cards are
dealt without burning a card between rounds.
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