The Rules of Omaha Poker: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
Whether you’re here because you’re learning eight game poker rules—with Omaha being one of those games—or want to expand your Hold’em or hi-lo repertoire with Omaha, we’ve got you covered! In this guide, we’ll outline the rules of Omaha poker, discuss how the game works, and highlight some of the best hands and variants.
The Rules of Omaha Poker
If you have played Texas Hold’em poker online or offline, you already know most of the rules of Omaha poker. Just like Texas Hold’em, the goal of Omaha is to make the best five-card hand using hole cards and community cards, with the former being dealt to the player and the latter being made available to all players.
The difference is that Texas Hold’em uses two hole cards while Omaha uses four. There are still five community cards, with several rounds of betting. Three cards are dealt first, and these are known as the flop. This is followed by the turn, the fourth card in Texas Hold’em. The final card is the river, and this precedes the showdown, where the remaining hands are revealed and the winner is announced.
Also, while you can use any combination of your hole cards and community cards to create a five-card hand in Texas Hold’em, you must use two hole cards and no more than three community cards for an Omaha hand.
Variants of Omaha Poker
Several different types of poker games use Omaha rules. As in Texas Hold’em, some of these just vary the betting, including fixed limits (pre-defined betting limits), pot limits (limits tied to the pot), and no limit (no betting limits). But some changes influence the best hands in Omaha:
- Omaha Hold’em: Multiple rounds of betting and classic poker hand values are used, which means the ace is high, and the royal flush is the best possible hand.
- Omaha Hi-Lo: Also known as Omaha 8s or Better, this game creates two pots, one for the best high hand and one for the best low hand, with the latter being a five-card hand of unpaired values ranked 8 or less.
- HORSE: A game that combines multiple poker variants and switches between them during different rounds. Omaha is the “O”; the other games are Texas Hold’em, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Eight or Low Seven Card Stud.
- HORSEHAT: The variations in this multi-game contest include 2-7 Triple Draw, Pot Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Limit Seven Card Stud, No Limit Texas Hold’em, Fixed Limit Texas Hold’em, and Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo.
- Big Omaha: Also known as Big O, this game uses five hole cards instead of four. There is also a six-card variation.
- Courchevel: This variation is similar to Big Omaha in that players get five hole cards. The first community card is dealt simultaneously, and after a betting round, the final two cards of the flop are dealt. The game then proceeds like other Omaha variations.
- 8 Game Mix: A generic name given to any poker mix that includes eight different poker variations. There are also other variations of this game, with some that combine as many as 12 games.
The Best Hands in Omaha Poker
Omaha is often called the “game of the nuts”, as there are a lot of cards at play, so there’s a good chance that one of the players in the hand will have the nuts at any given time.
The best hands are the same as other poker variants, with the royal flush being the highest and a high card being the lowest. These changes are for hi-lo games, although traditional poker rankings still apply to the “high” part.
In hi-lo games, the best four-card hand qualifies you for the nuts high hand and the nuts low hand, meaning you need two high and two low cards.
Players and Positions in Omaha Poker
Omaha Poker is played between two and 11 players—any more, and there won’t be enough cards for everyone when burn cards are included. It is usually best with half a dozen players, but there is also a lot of action when just two players are active. Check out our guide on how to play heads up poker to learn more about playing with just a couple of players.
The game proceeds as follows:
- Blinds: The small blind and big blind place their chips on the table. These amounts are defined pre-game, with the big blind being twice the size of the small blind.
- Deal: Each player is dealt four hole cards.
- Pre-flop play: The player to the left of the big blind acts first, a position known as Under the Gun (UTG). The pre-flop betting action proceeds clockwise around the table.
- Actions: Players choose to call (meet the current bet), raise (increase the bet), or fold (give up their hand).
- The flop: Three cards are dealt in the center of the table. Another betting round follows this.
- Turn and river: The fourth and fifth cards are dealt independently, each proceeded by a betting round.
- Showdown: The remaining players show their cards, and the winner is the one with the best five-card hand featuring both hole cards and three community cards.
Summary: The Rules of Omaha Poker
Over the last couple of decades or so, Omaha has grown from a game considered to be an alternative to Texas Hold’em into one of the most popular poker games around. It combines all the excitement of Texas Hold’em with extra hole cards and unique variations that require more consideration during each hand.
If you’re looking for a new poker game that includes elements you’re probably familiar with and ones you’re not, give Omaha Poker a go. We recommend starting with small stakes, preferably in combination with fixed-limit or pot-limit games. It’ll give you some time to get used to the game. You can advance to the bigger tournaments and cash games when you’re familiar with Omaha Poker rules and confident in your skills.
Poker Common Queries
What are the rules to Omaha poker?
You get four hole cards and must combine two of these with three of the five community cards to make the best five-card hand.
What is the difference between Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker?
There are two main differences. The first is that you get four hole cards in Omaha and two in Texas Hold’em. The second is that Texas Hold’em lets you build your hand from any combination of the seven cards, whereas you must use two hole cards and three community cards in Omaha.
What is a good hand in Omaha poker?
You can only use two of the four cards in your hand, so the best starting hand is essentially a combination of two Hold’em hands, one that gives you a chance at several big hands, such as A, A, K, K.
How to win Omaha poker?
You need to have the best hand at showdown. Bear in mind that it is often called the “game of nuts”, because when there are multiple players in the hand and a lot of cards at play, there is a high chance someone will have the best possible hand.
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