Omaha is the second most popular form of poker after Texas Hold’em. The structure is the same — blinds, a flop, a turn, a river and four betting rounds — but each player gets four hole cards instead of two. It is almost always played as Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO).
The most important rule: use exactly two
In Omaha, your final five-card hand must use exactly two of your four hole cards and exactly three of the five board cards. Not one, not three — exactly two.
- If the board has four hearts and you hold one heart, you do not have a flush. You need two hearts in your hand.
- If the board is A♠ A♦ A♣ K♥ 2♣ and you hold the last ace, you do not have four aces: you can use only three board cards.
How a hand plays
- The two players to the left of the dealer post the small and big blinds.
- Each player receives four cards face down. Preflop betting starts left of the big blind.
- The flop (three cards), turn (one card) and river (one card) are dealt, each followed by a betting round.
- At showdown, the best five-card hand using exactly two hole cards wins.
Pot-limit betting
In pot-limit, the most you can bet or raise is the size of the pot. A pot-sized raise equals the pot plus the amount you must call. For example, with $10 in the pot and a $10 bet in front of you, you can raise up to $40 total. The Omaha odds calculator helps with equity.
Beginner strategy tips
- Hands run closer. Even the best starting hands are rarely more than 65% favorites preflop. Variance is higher than in Hold’em, so keep a bigger bankroll.
- Play hands that work together: double-suited, connected hands like A♠ K♥ Q♠ J♥ are much stronger than four random high cards.
- Draw to the nuts. Second-best flushes and straights lose big pots. See the nuts.
- Avoid weak pairs on their own. AA with two unconnected cards is good but not dominant.
See bankroll guides for $1/$2 PLO and other stakes, and log your Omaha sessions separately in the free poker tracker.