Omaha Poker: Rules, Strategies & How to Play Like a Pro

What is Omaha poker?

Omaha poker is a community card game in which each player gets four-hole cards and makes the best possible five-card hand. You can use exactly two-hole cards and three community cards to make the best hand. It is a popular and exciting variant similar to Texas Hold'em, but unlike Hold 'em, it is more complex and challenging to play. 

In Omaha Poker, you start with 4-hole cards instead of 2. Each player must use exactly 2 of the four-hole cards and 3 of the five community cards to make the best hand possible. This rule makes the game exciting and offers more potential hand combinations. The game usually plays out in four betting rounds: the preflop, flop, turn, and river. The aim is to make the best five-card hand according to poker hand rankings.

Omaha Poker often uses a pot-limit betting structure, meaning the maximum bet is the amount currently in the pot. This adds a strategic layer to how much one should bet or raise.

The two most popular types of Omaha poker are:

• Pot-limit Omaha (PLO)
• Omaha hi-lo

This guide highlights Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO), explains how to play Omaha poker, covers the rules, and shares key strategies. PLO is one of the most popular and exciting variants of Omaha poker. It's beginner-friendly and offers a fun, straightforward way to get started.

How To Play Omaha Poker(Step-by-Step Guide)

To play Omaha poker, you need a deck of French cards, poker chips, a dealer’s button, and blind buttons. The game can fit somewhere between two to ten players.

1 - Preflop Action: The first round of betting starts with the player sitting to the left of Big Blind, known as Under the Gun, in a clockwise direction. Players can call, raise or fold.

2 - The Flop: Three community cards are dealt face-up on the table in the flop round. The players can use these community cards to make their best hand possible. The betting actions begin with the Small Blind in a clockwise direction. Players can call, check, raise or fold in this round based on their hand’s strength and the board texture.

3 - The Turn: Once the flop round is finished, the fourth community card, the Turn, is shared face-up on the table. Like the previous round, players sitting to the dealer's immediate left are the first to act. Another betting round occurs, during which players can call, check, raise or fold accordingly.

4 - The River: River is the last community card shared face up on the table, followed by another betting round.

5 - The Showdown: In the showdown, players reveal their respective cards, and the player with the highest-ranking hand wins the pot.

Omaha Poker Example

Let’s say you have A♥️ Q♣️ 7♦️ 6♦️ and the board has 9♥️ 4♥️ 2♣️ J♥️ Q♥️. Looking at the cards, you have Flush with A♥️. But to make a hand in Omaha, you must use two-hole cards. You can make a pair with Q, though.

How Betting Works in Omaha Poker

Betting in Omaha Poker differs from betting in Texas Hold’em Poker. Awareness of these rules is crucial to avoid confusion between the two gameplays, as even pro players sometimes mix the rules of both.

Like Texas Hold’em Poker, a player's minimum bet in Omaha Poker is the same as Big Blind value. In ₹0.5/₹1 table, the minimum bet allowed is ₹1.

Here’s where Pot Limit Omaha stands: the maximum bet equals the pot size. Calculating this can be tricky, but if you play online on Adda52 or in a casino, the platform or the dealer can help you calculate it.

But still, if you are aware of the pot size calculation, this will help you excel better in the game. Let’s explain this calculator of pot size betting with an example.

• Say the pot size is ₹2 before the bet was made.
• Now, if a player bets ₹1, the pot size increases to ₹3 (₹2+₹1).
• If another player decides to raise the pot, they must first match the current bet, i.e., ₹1. This will increase the pot size to ₹4 (₹3+₹1).
• This is the pot size, which eventually becomes the betting limit for the player in the Pot Limit Omaha variant of Omaha Poker. That means the maximum bet amount a player can make in this situation is ₹5 (₹1- player’s call + ₹4-pot size).

Omaha Poker Hand Rankings (Best to Worst)

Omaha Poker hand rankings are as follows:

1. Royal Flush: A royal flush comprises an ace-high straight flush of the same suit.
2. Straight Flush: A straight flush comprises five consecutive cards of the same suit.
3. Four of a kind: It comprises four cards of the same rank with different suits.
4. Full House: A full house consists of three of a kind and a pair.&
5. Flush: A flush consists of five cards of the same suit without a sequential order.
6. Straight: Straight is five cards in a sequential order of different suits.
7. Three of a kind: It consists of three cards of the same rank with different suits.
8. Two pairs: It consists of two pairs of the same rank cards.
9. One pair: One pair comprises two cards of the same rank.
10. High Card: A high card is when no combination of cards is formed.

Here are a few examples of hands in Omaha Poker:

Example 1

Your cards: A♠️ 3♠️ 6♦️ 8♦️

Community cards: 5♣️ 7♠️ 9♣️ K♠️ 2♦️

The hand you can make: Straight - 5♣️ 6♦️ 7♠️ 8♦️ 9♣️ 

You can use 6♦️ and 8♦️ from your hole cards and 5♣️, 7♠️, 9♣️ from the community cards.

Example 2

Your cards: A♠️ Q♠️ 5♥️ 9♦️

Community cards: 2♠️ 4♠️ 8♠️ J♠️ K♦️

The hand you can make: Ace-high Flush - A♠️ Q♠️ J♠️ 8♠️ 4♠️. You can use A♠️ and Q♠️ to make an Ace-high flush.

Omaha Poker Variants

The Omaha Poker variants are as follows:

Pot Limit Omaha Poker—The Most Popular Variant

Pot Limit Omaha, also known as PLO and Omaha High Poker, is the most popular variant of Omaha Poker. In this variant, a player can bet what is in the pot when betting.

Example

Let’s say the pot size is ₹100. Player A is the first to act and bets ₹100, the highest bet allowed. Now, the pot has grown to ₹200.

If the next player wants to raise, they can raise to ₹200, the new pot size.

• The current pot is ₹200.
• The call amount will be ₹100.
• The maximum raise will be ₹100, equal to the pot after calling.

Hence, the next player can raise to ₹300 in total.

No-limit Omaha Poker – Maximum Betting Freedom

A player can bet any amount up to all of their chips.

Example

Let’s say the pot has ₹500, and you have ₹2,000 chips. You can bet between the minimum amount and up to ₹2,000. You can go all-in and push your full ₹2,000 into the pot.

Fixed-limit Omaha Poker – Controlled Betting

A specific betting limit is applied in each game and on each betting round.

Example

Let’s say the game is ₹50/100 fixed-limit Omaha. In the first two betting rounds, all bets and raises must be ₹50. In the later rounds, all bets and raises must be ₹100.

So, if you bet ₹50 on the flop, player B can call ₹50 or raise ₹100 total. There’s always a cap on the number of raises per round, which is four raises max.

Pot-Limit Omaha Poker Variants (PLO 5 & PLO 6)

PLO 5  – More Hole Cards, More Possibilities

In PLO 5, players receive 5-hole cards and must use exactly 2-hole cards with three community cards to make the highest-ranking Omaha poker hand and win the pot.

Why Play PLO 5?

Here’s why you should play PLO 5:

• Five-hole cards give you more combinations, leading to bigger pots and wider action.
• PLO 5 rewards players with deep strategy. It has a higher skill ceiling and requires good hand-reading skills than any other poker variant.
• If you enjoy high-variance situations, then PLO 5 is for you. It gives you frequent equity shifts on the flop, turn, and river.

PLO 6 – The Ultimate Omaha Challenge:

In PLO 6, players receive 6-hole cards and must use exactly 2-hole cards with three community cards to make their best possible Omaha poker hand and win the pot.

Why Play PLO 6?

Here’s why you should play PLO 6:

• You get six-hole cards in PLO 6, which gives you more potential hands and draws. Hence, more action and a bigger pot.
• Most players overvalue hands or draws, making it profitable for those who understand hand selection and equity.
• The hand-making possibilities make PLO 6 exciting and unpredictable.

Omaha Poker vs. Texas Hold’em (Key Differences)

Omaha Poker and Texas Holdem are two core poker variations. Below is the table comparing the two:

Key Omaha Poker Strategies & Tips

Some essential Omaha Poker strategy tips are as follows:

The Importance of ‘Position’

Position plays a crucial role in enabling players to observe their opponent's actions, make decisions and act accordingly. Making the right decisions when sitting out of position is difficult, leading to decisions based on limited information and judgment errors. Thus, it is advisable to take advantage of the situation when sitting in the position and play cautiously otherwise. Also, if you are sitting in the position, you can control the pot size based on your hand strength.

Bluffing in Omaha Poker

Unlike Texas Hold’em, bluffing in Omaha is more complex because players hold 4-hole cards, leading to a broader range of possible strong hands. A successful bluff in Omaha hinges on understanding opponents' styles, reading the board effectively, and choosing the right moment, often when the community cards suggest a potentially strong hand that the bluffer pretends to hold. Effective bluffing sometimes involves semi-bluffing, where the bluffer's hand can improve later in the game, offering a backup plan. The essence of bluffing in Omaha lies in convincingly portraying a strong hand to manipulate opponents' actions.

Be Wary of the Blockers

If you have them in your hand, blockers are those cards that will block your opponents from making nuts in Omaha Poker. So, you should always look for opportunities to block your opponents from making nuts wherever your hands allow you. Having a blocker card in your hole cards set is an added advantage that can throw you in for a situation where, even when you don’t have the best of the hole cards, you might be able to spoil the party for your players playing with you.

Where to Play Omaha Poker Online

If you are an Omaha Poker pro or learning to play Omaha Poker, Adda52 is India's best Omaha poker site. It provides an immersive environment for playing Omaha Poker online. It offers Omaha Poker variants like PLO5 and PLO6, which you can start playing on the Adda52 poker app.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best hand in Omaha poker?

AAKK is double-suited as the best Omaha Poker starting hand.

What beats what in Omaha poker?

Below is the list of Omaha Poker hands in the decreasing order of their strength. The Royal Flush is the strongest hand in the sequence and beats every other hand mentioned below. The high card is the weakest hand in the sequence, and all the hands above it defeat it.

• Royal flush
• Straight flush
• Four-of-a-kind
• Full house
• Flush
• Straight
• Three-of-a-kind
• Two pair
• One pair
• High-card

Can players use all 4 cards in Omaha poker?

No, players can use precisely 2 hole cards out of the 4 hole cards in Omaha poker.

Is Omaha more complicated than Holdem?

Yes, Omaha is more complicated than Holdem. This is mainly because you have to choose 2 out of the 4 hole cards to make your hand here.

What are the basic rules of Omaha poker?

In Omaha poker, players must use only 2 4-hole cards and 3 5 community cards to make the best possible 5-card hand.

Is Omaha poker the same as Texas Holdem?

No. Both the games differ based on the hole cards.

What is the best strategy for playing Omaha poker?

The best strategy for playing Omaha is understanding the starting hands, the position, and how to change strategy after seeing the community cards.

Do you burn cards in Omaha poker?

Yes. You burn cards in Omaha poker.

Can I play Omaha Poker for free?

Yes, many online poker sites offer free Omaha Poker games for practice.

Conclusion

Omaha Poker is an exciting and strategic game. Getting four-hole cards adds more depth and excitement to the game. It is a poker variant that combines skill, strategy, and a bit of unpredictability, making it a favourite among poker enthusiasts. Each game of Omaha Poker promises a unique and engaging experience, challenging players to adapt and refine their techniques constantly.

So, what’s stopping you? Learn Omaha poker rules, understand how to build the best Omaha poker hands, and explore the differences between Texas Hold'em and Omaha. And finally, join an online Poker game now and put your skills to the test!