Omaha Hold’em (also known as just Omaha) is a game that plays similar to Texas Hold’em,
but with a few key differences.
Like Texas Hold’em, the object of Omaha is to make the
best possible five-card hand, using a combination of hole cards and five community
cards.
In Omaha, however, players are dealt four hole cards, and must make a five-card
hand using exactly two hole cards and three community cards.
This differs from Texas
Hold’em, in which players get two hole cards, and can use any combination of hole cards
and community cards to make the best five-card hand.
Two versions of Omaha are commonly
played around the world, regular Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo (aka Omaha Eight or Better). The
next sections will cover regular Omaha. Learn how to play Omaha Hi-Lo here.
Omaha Rules
Overview
Omaha is usually played with either pot-limit or limit betting rules. For more
on the different betting structures in poker, check out our guide to Poker Betting
Rules.
Pot Limit Omaha is commonly called “PLO”, and is the second-most popular poker
game in the world, behind Texas Hold’em.
Omaha is played using the buttons and blinds
system seen in many other poker variants. For more on how this system works, check out
our guide to Blinds, Antes & The Button.
An Omaha game begins with each player getting
dealt four cards. The dealer distributes these cards one at a time, starting with the
player in the small blind and going clockwise around the table.
Once all players have
four hole cards in front of them, the first of four betting rounds begins. Like in
Texas Hold'em, players keep their hole cards hidden from other players throughout the
game, only turning them over if a showdown takes place.
Omaha games involve four
betting rounds -- preflop, flop, turn, and river.
Pot Limit Omaha Example
Hand
Preflop
When all players have four cards, the player to the direct left of the big
blind begins the preflop betting round. This player has the opportunity to call (match
the amount of the big blind), raise (bet an amount that's at least 2x the big blind
amount), or fold (discard their hand and surrender any chance to win the pot).
After
this player calls, raises, or fold, the action moves clockwise around the table, with
each player having the chance to either call, raise or fold. The player on the big
blind acts last, unless there is further action that needs to close after the big blind
acts.
When all players have had the opportunity to either call, raise, or fold, all
players remaining who did not fold advance to the next betting round, known as the
flop.
For example, let's say we're watching a PLO cash game, with six players atR$1/$2
cash game stakes. After each player is dealt their four hole cards, the player directly
to the big blind's left (generally known as the "under-the-gun" player) has the option
to either call theR$2 big blind, raise to at leastR$4, or fold.
The under-the-gun
player folds, and the next player to the left also folds. In a six-player game, this
would make the player on the "cutoff", directly to the right of the button, next to
act.
The cutoff player raises toR$6 and the player on the button calls. The small blind
folds, surrendering theirR$1 forced bet into the pot. The big blind, who already has a
forcedR$2 bet in play, also calls, puttingR$4 more in the pot to match theR$6 raise.
In
this scenario, the preflop action has closed withR$19 in the pot. Each of the three
still live players haveR$6 in the pot, plus the small blind'sR$1.
The Flop
After the
preflop betting round closes, the dealer puts the first three of five community cards
on the board. These three cards are known as the flop, and another betting round
commences after that.
In our example hand, three players are still live. The dealer
burns one card (taking it off the top of the deck and putting it face down), and puts
the next three cards in the deck on the board, face-up.
All betting rounds after the
flop start with the player in the small blind as first to act, if they're still live in
the hand. If the small blind player isn't in the hand, the action starts with the first
live player to the left of the small blind.
This player has the opportunity to check
(put no money in the pot), or bet. After that, the next live player on the left has the
chance to call (match a bet), raise (increase the amount of the bet), or fold. If the
first-to-act player checks, this next player can also check.
In our example game, the
small blind folded and is out of the hand already. The big blind is the next player on
the left that's still in the hand, and acts first.
Let's say the big blind checks. The
cutoff player is the next live player on the left, and this player betsR$10 into
theR$19 pot. The player on the button is next to act, and folds.
The big blind raises
toR$35. The cutoff now has the option to call, puttingR$25 more in the pot to match the
big blind'sR$35 bet. The cutoff can also re-raise, or fold. If the cutoff folds, the
hand is over and the big blind player wins the pot.
In this scenario, suppose the
cutoff calls the raise. TheR$19 pot has increased toR$89, with two players each
puttingR$35 more in the pot in the flop betting round. The cutoff's call would close
the flop betting round.
The Turn
With the flop betting round complete, the dealer burns
another card, then puts a fourth community card on the board. This card is known as the
turn, or "fourth street".
After the turn hits the board, the community cards in our
example hand look like this:
The big blind is first to act again, and betsR$50 into
theR$79 pot. The cutoff player calls, making the potR$179. The cutoff's call closes the
turn betting round.
The River
The dealer burns one more card, and puts the fifth and
final community card on the board. This card is known as the river, or "fifth
street".
The river hits the board in our example game, and the five community cards
look like this:
The big blind checks, and the cutoff decides to check back, keeping the
pot atR$179. The two players then go to the showdown, and it's time to reveal the hands
and see who has the winner. The last player who made an aggressive move (either a bet
or raise) in the hand generally shows their cards first.
In this case it's the big
blind, who turns over his hole cards:
The big blind has a flush, using their 5♥4♥ to
make a five-card hand of J♥6♥5♥4♥2♥.
The cutoff player doesn't have to show their cards
in this scenario, and has the option of just surrendering the pot without revealing
their hole cards. In this example, however, the cutoff does turn over their hand,
revealing:
The cutoff has a three-of-a-kind jacks, using their J♠J♣ to make a five-card
hand of J♠J♣J♥6♥5♣. Note that even though the cutoff can't use one of his fours to make
a straight with the 6-5-3-2 on the board, as you must use exactly two hole cards and
three community cards in Omaha.
The big blind player wins the hand with the flush, and
collects the pot. The blinds and button all shift one player to the left, and the next
hand begins.
Here is another example of a showdown in Pot Limit Omaha poker:
Learn
about Pot Limit Omaha strategy here.
