OMAHA POKER

OBJECTIVE OF OMAHA POKER: Win all the money in the pot by having the highest hand.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 10 players

MATERIALS OF OMAHA POKER: Standard 52-card deck

TYPE OF GAME: Casino

AUDIENCE: Adults

OVERVIEW OF OMAHA POKER

Omaha Poker is the second most popular variant of poker played, after Texas Hold’Em. It is very similar to Hold’Em in that it is a community card game. If you know how to play Texas Hold’Em, these instructions should be pretty familiar to you already! The main difference between Omaha Poker and Hold’Em is that players are dealt four (as opposed to two) cards in Omaha, and they must use exactly two of those to form their five-card poker hand.

So, if you’re looking at diversifying your poker night a little bit, Omaha Poker is a great addition. Here are the rules to play Omaha Poker.

SETUP FOR OMAHA POKER

First things first, before we begin betting, we have to properly set up for the game and deal the cards.

PICKING A DEALER IN OMAHA POKER

To pick a dealer, pass out a single card, face-up, to each player. The player with the highest card deals first. Aces are the highest card in Omaha Poker. In the event of a tie, suits are used to determine the high card. Spades are the highest-ranking suit, followed by hearts, diamonds, and clubs. This is the North American standard. The dealer shuffles the cards and prepares for the first deal.

THE BLINDS AND DEAL

Before the dealer passes out the cards, the two players left of the dealer must put out the blinds. The player immediately left of the dealer puts out the small blind while the player to their left puts out the big blind. As a general rule, the small blind is equal to half the minimum bet, whereas the big blind is equal to the minimum bet.

Once the blinds are put out, the dealer begins passing out cards. Starting with the player directly to their left and moving clockwise, the dealer hands each player four cards, one at a time, face-down.

OMAHA POKER HAND RANKINGS

Before we jump into the official Omaha Poker rules, let’s review of the poker hand rankings in case you need a refresher.

Here’s what you need to know:

Royal Flush: A, K, Q, J, 10 in a single suit.
Straight Flush: Five cards in consecutive order in the same suit.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same value in any suit.
Full House: Three of a kind + 1 pair
Flush: Any five cards in a single suit.
Straight: Five cards in consecutive order in any suit.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same value in any suit.
Two Pair: Two pairs of two cards with the same value.
Pair: Two cards of the same value.
High Card: The highest card value.

HOW TO PLAY OMAHA POKER: OMAHA POKER RULES

Omaha Poker is overwhelmingly played with a pot limit. Pot limit Omaha poker (often abbreviated as PLO) is so popular that it is the second most played poker variation after Texas Hold’em and is actually thought to eventually surpass Hold’em in popularity! These Omaha Poker rules will, therefore, cover PLO Poker rules. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

PREFLOP

After dealing the cards, the first round of betting begins. This round is called the “preflop.” The betting ends when:

Every player has had the opportunity to act.
Players who have not folded all bet the same amount.

Starting with the player to the left of the big blind, betting begins. There are three options for each player:

Fold, pay nothing and forfeit the hand.
Call, place a bet that matches the big blind or previous bet.
Raise, place a bet at least double the big blind.

Play moves clockwise from the player to the left of the big blind and around the table until each player has folded, called, or raised.

The amount to call or raise is dependent on the last bet placed before it. For example, if a player raises after the big blind, if the next player wants to call, they must bet the big blind x2 in order to match the raised amount.

THE FLOP & SECOND BETTING ROUND

After the first round of betting, it’s time to deal the flop. The dealer burns a card from the deck and then deals three community cards face up on the table. These community cards are called the flop.

Once the flop has been dealt, betting begins with the player directly to the dealer’s left. The player may check or bet. Bets during the flop round are typically equal to the big blind. Then, play moves left, players may check (if there was no previous bet), call, raise, or fold.

THE TURN & THIRD BETTING ROUND

After the previous betting round concludes, the dealer deals the turn. This is one more community card, face-up, added to the table. This card is called the turn or fourth street. Remember: before the dealer deals the turn, the dealer burns the top card.

Once the turn is dealt, another round of betting ensues. This proceeds much like betting on the flop but uses a higher minimum bet. Typically, the betting limit is double the big blind.

THE RIVER & FINAL ROUND OF BETTING

Finally, after the third betting round, the dealer must burn another card and then deal a fifth and final community card face-up. This card is called the river. After the river is dealt, the final round of betting begins. Betting on the river is identical to betting on the third round.

END OF GAME: THE SHOWDOWN

After the fourth and final betting round, all remaining players enter the showdown. In other words, of the players remaining, the one with the best hand wins and takes the pot.

Omaha Poker uses traditional Poker Hand Rankings, as you can see above. This is a combination of two cards from the hand dealt to you by the dealer and three community cards in order to make the best hand possible.

Example game:

Board (Community Cards): J, Q, K, 9, 3

Player 1: 10, 9, 4, 2, A

Player 2: 10, 4, 6, 8, J

In this case, Player 1 has a straight using two cards in their hand (9,10) and three community cards (J, Q, K), for 9, 10, J, Q, K.

Player 2, on the other hand, has a pair. J, J, 8, 6, 10.

In this example, Player 1 wins the hand and the pot!

STRATEGIES FOR OMAHA POKER

Here are some of our top tips and strategies to help you play the best game possible when playing Pot-Limit Omaha Poker.

PLAY STRONG STARTING HANDS WITH MULTIPLE POTENTIAL COMBINATIONS

Okay, that’s a bit of a mouthful, but hear us out! When playing PLO, pay close attention to your four hole cards. Look for combinations that have connectivity. Examples of strong starting hands include double-suited hands of:

A-A-K-K
A-A-J-10
A-A-Q-Q
A-A-J-J
A-A-10-10
A-A-9-9
J-10-9-8
K-K-Q-Q
K-K-J-J
K-Q-J-10

RAISE OR FOLD

Generally, in Omaha Poker, calling is discouraged. Instead, you should either raise or fold. If you’re confident in your hand, this raises the amount of money in the pot. And on the flip side, if you are not confident, you may as well just fold!

BE CAREFUL OF BIG RAISES AND BETS

Bluffing is less of a play in Omaha Poker, so if an opponent is raising or betting big, it’s likely they have a good hand. Of course, there is still the possibility of the opponent bluffing, but this isn’t usually the case.

PLAY STRONG DRAWING HANDS

Even if you don’t start with the strongest four-card hand, remember: you only need two of your hole cards. If there are any cards that may easily lead to a straight or flush, play them!

UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION

Just like Hold’em, your position matters when it comes to PLO. Don’t scare other players, collect information, control your hands, and pay attention to the other players!

Want to learn more? Check out our ultimate poker strategy guide!

VARIATIONS OF OMAHA POKER

While PLO is the most popular variation of Omaha Poker, there are other variations you should get to know. Of course, one of the better well-known Omaha Poker variations is Hi/Lo, but there are also five-card and six-card variations of the game.

OMAHA HI/LO

Omaha Hi-Lo is often played so that the pot is split between the players with the highest hand and the lowest hand. Low hands typically must consist of all five cards with a value of 8 or lower. In some cases, players may be able to win both the pot for Hi and Lo hands! Omaha Hi/Lo is also used in a fun poker variation called HORSE poker.

FIVE-CARD OMAHA

This variation of Omaha Poker is played identically to the traditional game, but players are dealt five cards instead of four.

SIX-CARD OMAHA (BIG O)

This variation is like traditional Omaha, but players start with six hole cards instead of four.

FAQ

What Are the Best Starting Hands in Omaha Poker?

The five best starting hands in Omaha Poker are, A-A-K-K, A-A-J-T, A-A-Q-Q, A-A-J-J, and A-A-T-T. Note that these hands must be double-suited, as in there must be two cards of one suit and two of another.

Is Omaha Poker More Difficult Than Texas Hold’em?

This really depends. Although Texas Hold’em is generally considered the more beginner-friendly game, winning can come easier for Omaha Poker players, as other players can easily make mistakes they wouldn’t make in Texas Hold’em.

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Mia Kim

I am a digital nomad and traveler with a passion for board games. I've been a big board game nerd all my life, and I'm a particular fan of word games like Scrabble, Boggle, and, yes, Wordle, too!