Learning how to play Omaha poker is a great idea. Not only is it fun to take a break from Hold’em sometimes. But Omaha offers a more strategic challenge, forcing you to develop your all-round poker game.
We’ll teach you how to play Omaha poker shortly. But first, let’s learn about the game’s origins.
What is Omaha Poker Online?
Before we explain how to play Omaha poker, let’s first learn a little about the game.
Omaha Hold’em – later shortened simply to Omaha – is thought to have developed in the late 1970s. The idea was to create a variation of Texas Hold’em that offered more action and complexity.
The rules are essentially the same as its Texan cousin, except for the addition of two hole cards for each player.
With so many more cards in play, the number of potential hand combinations increases massively. Hold’em features 169 different starting hand combinations, compared to 16,432 in Omaha.
This additional complexity offers a different challenge to Hold’em and has undoubtedly contributed to the game’s continued growth.
So too have online poker influencers and streamers like Joey Ingram. Not to mention high-stakes legend Tony G, who won the biggest ever pot in online poker history in an Omaha game at CoinPoker.
PLO Poker Meaning
So what is PLO poker, exactly? This is just a shorthand way of saying “Pot Limit Omaha”, the most popular form of the game.
It’s also possible to play No Limit Omaha (NLO) and Fixed Limit Omaha (FLO). These use the same basic Omaha rules, but slightly different betting structures.
All of the best online poker sites in the US offer additional variants, too. We’ll discuss these in more detail later, but Five Card Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo are the most popular variations.
How to Play Omaha Poker Online
Okay, it’s time to take a closer look at how to play Omaha poker.
Omaha Poker Rules
The basic rules are the same as Texas Hold’em, apart from the starting hands. Each player is dealt four cards, but you must use exactly two hole cards in your final five-card hand, as well as exactly three community cards.
Whoever shows the strongest hand after betting is complete wins the pot. If two or more hands are equal in value, the chips will be shared proportionally.
Of course, if you’re able to bet everyone else out of the pot, you can also win without needing to show your hand.
Small and big blinds are posted by the two players to the left of the dealer button. These are compulsory bets designed to get the action flowing. The next player in line is said to be “under the gun”, and they start the game by raising, calling or folding.
How to Bet in Omaha Poker Online
If you wish to stay in the hand, you must pay a number of chips equal to the size of the last bet. This is known as a “call”.
Alternatively, you can raise by posting at least double the previous bet. You can’t, for example, make it $1.50 to play if the big blind is $1. Your minimum here would be a $1 raise, making it $2 to play.
You can also toss your hand away if you don’t like it, taking no further part in the hand – this is called a “fold”.
The maximum possible raise is dictated by the agreed structure. No Limit games, for instance, allow you to bet all of the chips in front of you.
However, it’s most likely that Pot Limit Omaha rules will be in play. These cap your potential bet at however many chips are currently in the pot.
Flop, Turn and River
Once the first betting round is complete, the dealer reveals a “flop” of three community cards. Everyone can use these when forming their own individual five-card hand.
The player immediately to the dealer’s left can now opt to bet or “check”, which is basically declining to bet. A bet must be at least equal to the size of the big blind, if not bigger.
At the end of the flop betting round, a fourth card – the “turn” – is revealed, followed by more betting. The same options of check and bet apply to the player sitting left of the dealer.
A fifth and final card – the “river” – is then revealed, before a final betting round.
Omaha Poker Hands
The Omaha poker hand rankings – outlined in the table below – are the same as any other form of poker.
| Poker Hand Rankings | Example |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠ |
| Straight Flush | Q♦J♦10♦9♦8♦ |
| Four of a Kind | 7♣7♠7♦7♥K♣ |
| Full House | J♦J♣J♠5♣5♥ |
| Flush | K♣J♣9♣4♣3♣ |
| Straight | 9♦8♣7♠6♥5♦ |
| Three of a Kind | A♣A♠A♦7♣6♥ |
| Two Pair | Q♦Q♣8♥8♠5♥ |
| One Pair | 10♠10♣8♠6♣2♥ |
| High Card | A♥K♣9♠7♦3♣ |
Remember that in Omaha you must use exactly two of your hole cards and exactly three community cards when making your hand. You can’t, for example, take four from the board and one hole card, like in Hold’em.
Tournaments and Ring Games
Like any other type of poker, Omaha can be played in a tournament format or as a cash game.
There are several major online Omaha tournaments held annually, including the $2 million Venom PLO at ACR Poker.
Omaha Poker Variations
So, you’ve learned the basics of how to play Omaha poker. But what about the different variations we mentioned previously?
Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) is the most common betting structure, but it’s possible to play No Limit (NLO) and Fixed Limit (FLO) as well.
The Pot Limit Omaha rules limit the size of your maximum bet to however many chips have already been wagered. Everything else remains the same.
No-Limit Omaha (NLO) lets you bet however much you like, the only limit being the number of chips in front of you.
This is probably the least common of the three main betting structures used in Omaha. But it certainly adds an extra layer of psychology, as it allows bigger stacks to bully the other players more easily.
As the name suggests, Fixed-Limit Omaha (FLO) restricts how much you can bet to one of two different sizes. The “Small Bet” applies on the first two betting rounds, with the “Big Bet” coming into play on the turn and river.
For instance, a $4 / $8 game means you can only bet and raise in units of $4 until the flop. From the turn, bets increase to $8.
Fixed-Limit Omaha is sometimes simply referred to as “Limit Omaha”.
Omaha Eight-or-Better, often called Omaha Hi-Lo or PLO8, effectively splits the game into two mini competitions. Every pot is divided in half. One part is awarded to whoever makes the best hand as usual, with the other reserved for the best “low”.
A low hand consists of eight-high or lower. Flushes and straights aren’t relevant for this part of the game, meaning that 5-4-3-2-A (five-high) is the best possible low. Conversely, the worst possible qualifying low would be 8-7-6-5-4.
Your normal PLO strategy isn’t going to be much use when playing Eight or Better. Instead, you need to find hands that allow you to win both portions of the pot.
A hand of A-A-K-K, which is considered the strongest in a standard Omaha game, has no low potential. This means that it can only ever win half of the pot at best. As a result, when playing Omaha Hi-Lo, the best possible starting hand becomes A-A-2-3 (double suited).
Five Card Omaha – or simply PLO5 when using a Pot Limit betting structure – gives each player an extra card in their starting hand.
The usual PLO rules apply in all other aspects. But this game is even more action-packed than normal, due to the additional hand permutations.
All of the best offshore poker sites now offer Five Card Omaha, as the game has grown remarkably quickly in the past few years.
This is less-common online and is more of a home game favorite. Like PLO5, the usual Omaha poker rules are in play, but there are two extra hole cards dealt to each participant.
This further increases the number of potential hand combinations, leading to a more chaotic game than regular PLO.
Omaha Poker Strategy and Tips
Now that you’re up to speed with how to play, here’s some expert advice to help take your game to the next level. Apply these Omaha poker tips and you’re sure to improve quickly.
- Forget everything about Hold’em. The first point to realize is that Omaha and Hold’em are quite different. The rules might look essentially the same, but the strategy involved is totally different. Don’t approach Omaha as if it were Hold’em.
- Starting hand selection is key. In Omaha, you’re more likely to run into the nuts, meaning you need to be more disciplined in your hand selection. Look for hands with connectivity that can make the best possible straights and flushes.
- Learn to read the board. This is true of any poker game with community cards, but Omaha features a lot more permutations. It’s far more common to see straights and flushes – if one is possible, you have to assume someone’s made it.
- You’re never that big of a favorite. Starting hand equity is spread more thinly in Omaha, so play tight and expect variance. The best possible Omaha hand will only win 5.71% more than the second-best – in Hold’em, that figure is a 65.27% spread, with aces beating kings with suits covered 82.36% of the time.
- Draws are stronger than you think. With a powerful draw like a full wrap, you could potentially have up to 20 outs. Even against a made hand such as top set, you might only be behind 55% to 45%.
- Keep the pot under control. Omaha is a game of high variance, so it’s important not to let the pot get out of hand. Strong hands can easily be outdrawn. Be careful about overcommitting with drawing hands, too.
- Not all Omaha games are equal. You can’t apply basic Omaha strategy to Omaha Hi-Lo, for instance. In the latter, you still need to look for hands with connectivity, but they need to include low cards.
Omaha vs Texas Hold’em
When asked “how do you play Omaha poker?” it’s hard not to use Texas Hold’em as a starting point. After all, the two games are almost identical in terms of their rules, hand rankings and flow.
The main point of difference in the number of hole cards each player receives – two in Hold’em, with four in a standard Omaha game.
Additionally, Omaha players must use exactly two of these when making their hand, whereas you have a degree of flexibility in Hold’em.
When playing Omaha, your starting hand can potentially form many more combinations. You are, therefore, much more likely to run into the nuts when playing Omaha.
In turn, this means that bluffing is far less effective than Hold’em. It also increases the importance of blockers.
Both games are highly strategic and each has its own complexities. But it’s probably a little easier to learn Hold’em if you’re just starting out. Omaha requires a much better grasp of hand and board reading than its Texan counterpart.
Finally, both games can be played with a Fixed Limit, Pot Limit, or No Limit betting structure. But it’s most common to see Omaha using a Pot Limit setup, while Hold’em is usually No Limit.
Conclusion
It’s one thing to know how to play Omaha poker, but another entirely to become a strong player. This intriguing game might look a lot like Texas Hold’em, but the strategy and skills involved are quite different.
Still, the information contained in this guide should stand you in good stead as you start your journey into the world of Omaha.