How to Play

Omaha is a community-card poker variant where each player gets 4 hole cards and must use exactly 2 of them with exactly 3 of the 5 community cards to form the best 5-card hand.

Omaha (most often Pot-Limit Omaha, PLO) is a community-card poker variant. Each player receives four private hole cards and shares five community cards (the board) with the table. The key rule that separates Omaha from Texas Hold'em is the construction rule: at showdown each player makes their best five-card poker hand using exactly two of their hole cards and exactly three of the five community cards. Four betting rounds (preflop, flop, turn, river) punctuate play. The most common format is pot-limit (the maximum raise equals the current pot total); no-limit and fixed-limit Omaha exist but are rare. The major variant Omaha Hi-Lo (also Omaha 8 or Better) splits the pot between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand (lowest 5 unpaired cards 8 or under).

Players

2 to 10 players at a single table; 6 to 9 is most common in cash games and tournaments. Each player plays for themselves; there are no partnerships. The dealer position (button) rotates clockwise after every hand; in casino play a non-playing dealer handles the cards while the button marker moves around the table.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Ranks high to low: A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2. The Ace plays high or low for straights (A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest straight). All four suits rank equally; suits matter only for determining flushes. Hand rankings (high to low): Royal Flush > Straight Flush > Four of a Kind > Full House > Flush > Straight > Three of a Kind > Two Pair > One Pair > High Card.

Objective

Win chips from the pot, either by forcing every opponent to fold during a betting round or by showing the best 5-card hand at showdown. In Omaha Hi-Lo, both the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand win half the pot each ('scooping' the whole pot is the dream).

Setup and Deal

1. Move the dealer button one seat clockwise from the previous hand. The two players seated immediately clockwise of the button post forced bets: the small blind (typically half the big blind) and the big blind (the standard table betting unit).
2. The dealer shuffles a 52-card deck. Each player is dealt 4 hole cards face down, one card at a time clockwise starting with the small blind, until each player has 4. Hole cards are private; the player may look but should not show them to others.
3. Misdeal: Any exposed card during the deal voids the deal; the same dealer redeals after a fresh shuffle.

Gameplay

1. Pre-flop betting (round 1): Action starts on the player to the left of the big blind. Each player in turn may fold (forfeit hand), call (match the largest current bet, the big blind), or raise (increase the bet). In pot-limit, the maximum raise is the size of the current pot after the player calls. Action continues clockwise until all bets are matched or only one player remains.
2. The Flop: The dealer burns one card face down, then deals 3 community cards face up in the centre of the table. Round 2 of betting begins with the first active player to the left of the button (small blind first if still in, then big blind, then around the table clockwise).
3. The Turn: Burn one, deal 1 community card face up (now 4 community cards on the board). Round 3 of betting (in pot-limit games the bet sizes typically grow because the pot is larger).
4. The River: Burn one, deal 1 community card face up (now 5 community cards on the board). Round 4 of betting; final chance for action.
5. Showdown: If two or more players remain after the river bet, hands are revealed clockwise starting with the last aggressor. Each player's best 5-card hand is formed using exactly 2 of their 4 hole cards and exactly 3 of the 5 community cards. The highest-ranking 5-card hand wins the pot.
6. The 2/3 rule (critical): Even if four community cards are the same suit, you can only count two of your hole cards toward a flush (you cannot make a one-card flush with one hole card). Likewise four community-card straights cannot be completed with one hole card; you must use exactly two.

Betting Limits and Variants

• Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO): The maximum bet on any street equals the current pot size after the player calls. The dominant Omaha format worldwide.
• No-Limit Omaha: Players may bet any amount up to their entire chip stack. Rare; PLO is preferred because no-limit is considered too volatile with four hole cards.
• Fixed-Limit Omaha: Bet sizes are fixed at small-bet and big-bet increments per street; rare in modern play.
• Hi-Lo (8 or Better): The pot splits between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand (5 unpaired cards 8 or under, A-5 lowest). Each player still uses exactly 2 hole and 3 community cards, but they may use a different 2 hole cards for high and for low.
• Five-Card Omaha: Each player receives 5 hole cards (the construction rule still requires using exactly 2 of them).
• Six-Card Omaha: Each player receives 6 hole cards; rare and very high variance.
• Courchevel: A 5-card Omaha variant where the first community-card flop is dealt before the preflop betting round.

Scoring (Hand Rankings)

• Royal Flush: A K Q J 10 of the same suit.A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠
• Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥
• Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank.K♠K♥K♦K♣9♠
• Full House: Three of a kind plus a pair.K♠K♥K♦Q♠Q♥
• Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not consecutive.A♦J♦8♦5♦2♦
• Straight: Five consecutive cards, mixed suits. Ace plays both high (10-J-Q-K-A) and low (A-2-3-4-5).9♠8♥7♦6♣5♠
• Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank.Q♠Q♥Q♦K♠9♦
• Two Pair: Two pairs plus a kicker.K♠K♥Q♠Q♥9♦
• One Pair: Two cards of the same rank.K♠K♥Q♠9♦5♣
• High Card: The highest single card if no other hand applies.A♠K♥9♦6♣4♠
• Hi-Lo qualifying low: Five unpaired cards each rank 8 or below; lowest is A-2-3-4-5 (the wheel).A♠2♥3♦4♣5♠

Winning

• Round-by-round: A pot is won immediately if all opponents fold to a bet or raise; the last player to fold their hand surrenders all their chips already in the pot.
• Showdown winner: Best 5-card hand using exactly 2 hole + 3 community cards wins. Tied highest hands split the pot equally.
• Hi-Lo pot split: Half pot to the best high hand, half pot to the best qualifying low hand (5 unpaired ranks 8 or below). If no qualifying low exists, the high winner takes the whole pot.
• All-in side pots: When a player goes all-in for fewer chips than another player's bet, the excess goes into a side pot that only the players who matched it can win.
• Tournament: The match continues until one player holds all chips; players who lose all chips are eliminated and the prize pool is divided according to the agreed payout structure.

Tips and Strategy

• Starting hand selection is even more critical in Omaha than Hold'em because all four hole cards should work together. The strongest hands are double-suited connectors with a high pair (e.g., A-A-K-K double-suited) or rundowns (e.g., 9-10-J-Q double-suited).
• Avoid hands with 'danglers': a card that does not connect with the others in straight, flush, or pair potential. A hand like A-A-7-2 rainbow has only the Aces working together and is a trap.
• Remember the 2-card rule on every flop. If the board pairs (e.g., K-K-7), you can only make trips with exactly one of your hole cards being a King, not zero.
• Drawing to the nuts (the best possible hand) is essential. Second-best hands are extremely costly in Omaha because so many possible nut combinations exist.
• Position is critical. Acting last on every post-flop street allows you to control the pot size and extract maximum value from made hands or release marginal ones cheaply.
• In Hi-Lo, aim for hands that can scoop both halves. A-2-3-4 double-suited gives you both nut low draws and good flush/straight potential for the high.

Glossary

• Hole cards: The 4 private cards dealt face down to each player.
• Board / community cards: The 5 face-up cards in the centre that all players share.
• Flop / Turn / River: The first 3, the 4th, and the 5th community cards respectively.
• Burn card: A card discarded face down before each community-card deal to prevent cheating.
• Button: The dealer position marker; rotates one seat clockwise each hand.
• Blinds: Forced bets posted by the two players left of the button before any cards are dealt.
• The nuts: The best possible hand given the board.
• Pot-limit: The maximum raise on any street equals the pot total after the player has called.
• Dangler: A hole card that does not connect with the other three; weakens an Omaha starting hand.
• Hi-Lo / 8 or Better: The split-pot variant where a low hand of 5 unpaired ranks 8 or below qualifies for half the pot.