Omaha is one of the most popular variations of poker that is being played right now, second to only Texas Hold’em. If you’ve already played Texas Hold’em, it’s simple enough to make the transition to Omaha.
Either way, this guide will show you the basics.
What is Omaha poker?
In Omaha, players are dealt four hole cards along with the usual five community cards on the board. This makes it easier to make big hands and leads to a potentially action-packed game.
The twist is, you have to use exactly two of your individual cards as well as three community cards to make a hand.
The aim of the game is win chips by either making the best hand or getting opponents to fold, known as bluffing.
Omaha hands rankings are the same as in other poker games. In Omaha though, winning hands are usually very strong because players have more possible card combinations to play with. This is what has made it an increasingly popular choice in recent years.
If you live in a gaming destination such as Las Vegas, you’ll find Omaha cash games and tournaments running regularly. Smaller, local casinos might not have the same options. It’s also possible to play Omaha online poker at licensed sites that run games around the clock.
Physical casinos and poker rooms can only run a small number of games at once and so usually sway towards Texas Hold’em as their game of choice. Omaha cash games and tourneys of all varieties can be found online.
Types of Omaha
We’ll talk more about the basics of how to play Omaha soon, but first, it’s good to know that there are several types of Omaha, each with different rules. Here are the main types of Omaha available:
- Omaha-Hi – In Omaha-Hi, the strongest five-card poker hand wins the pot at showdown. This is the typical way of playing most poker games.
- Omaha Hi-Low – In this form of Omaha, the pot is split between the highest five-card hand and the lowest. The best hand in the low pot is A-2-3-4-5.
- 5-Card Omaha – In 5-Card Omaha, players are dealt five hole cards instead of four, making for every more possible card combination and potential action.
There are also different types of betting limits, of which there are pot limit, no limit and fixed limit.
- Pot limit – In pot limit games, you can only ever bet a maximum of the amount that is already in the pot. Many Omaha games have a pot limit.
- No limit – In no-limit games, there is no cap on betting. It’s possible to bet your entire stack in a pot.
- Fixed limit – In fixed limit, the amount that can be bet is always fixed and so is the number of raises that can be made in a pot. Bet amounts are established before the game starts. Usually, there will be a small bet for the first two rounds and big bet for the last two.
The most popular type of Omaha is Pot-limit Omaha (PLO). The aim is to make the strongest possible five-card hand and the maximum bet is the size of the pot. PLO is the game that the rest of this article focuses on.
How to play Omaha poker?
As mentioned, poker players who can already play Texas Hold’em won’t have too much trouble adjusting to the rules of Omaha. The betting is very similar. It consists of a preflop betting round, followed by the flop, turn and river.
Omaha uses a standard 52-card deck and the usual poker hand rankings. The button position moves around the table and players who are in the relevant positions will place their blinds before the action.
If two or more players are still in the pot following the final round of betting, showdown occurs and the player with the best hand wins the chips. If everyone folds before that, leaving just one player in the pot, then they also win the hand.
This means that, like in other forms of poker, it’s possible to win by bluffing – although it can be difficult to bluff well in Omaha given that other players are also likely to have strong hands or draws.
Omaha is a game of part chance and part skill. There are elements that are out of a player’s control, such as the cards dealt, as well as some within a player’s control, such as when and how much to bet or fold. Very experienced players may even compare the game to technical trading.
Here’s the rounds involved in a game of Omaha:
Preflop – The blinds are placed are players are dealt four hole cards that are private. Action begins with the player to the left of the big blind, known as the under the gun player, who decides whether to call, fold or raise. Action moves around the table until betting is complete.
Flop – Three community cards are dealt face up the middle that can be used by any player as part of their hand. This is followed by another round of betting, starting with the most out of position player.
Turn – Another community card is dealt face up, followed by a fourth round of betting.
River – This is the fifth and final community card. Players who remain in the pot continue with one more round of betting.
Showdown – If two or more players match bets on the river, they make it through to showdown and reveal their hands. Remember, in Omaha final hands are made using exactly two hole cards and three community cards. The best poker hand wins the pot.
