Omaha Poker Rules
Omaha poker can be called the second most popular format of poker in the world. As Texas Hold'em has become increasingly difficult to play and win lately, more and more players are trying their hand at learning the Omaha rules.
Before you begin to study this discipline, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with the rules of hold'em, since the Omaha poker rules are based on them. However, even experienced players make mistakes when moving from one poker discipline to another.
How to Play Omaha Poker: Game Rules
It is believed that this type of poker first appeared in the seventies. It was in Detroit and that format is now called 5 card Omaha. The game quickly gained popularity and soon spread to other states. It is curious that the transition from 5 pocket cards to 4 occurred at the behest of the casino. The owners of gambling establishments were not satisfied with the fact that a maximum of 8 people could sit at the table, this was the reason for changing the rules.

To play Omaha poker hands, the same card deck is used as for no-limit hold'em: 52 cards, without jokers.
So, how do you play Omaha Poker? Its rules are similar to those of Texas Hold'em. The betting rounds and combinations are the same, but there are some differences:
- Players receive 4 hole cards (two more than in Hold'em).
- The player's combination must necessarily include 5 cards: two in hand and three community cards of the board.
Let’s talk about how to play a hand in some details (we consider the option of PLO with four hole cards):

Before the cards are dealt, mandatory blind bets are placed: the small blind (SB) and the big blind (BB). Each player receives four pocket cards (face down).

A round of betting is played called preflop. The first word is given to the player in the position to the left of the big blind (UTG or under the gun). Players can fold, call the previous bet or raise.

If at least two players are left in the game after the preflop, three community cards are laid out on the board, this is called the flop. A new round of betting begins, this time the first word for the player in the small blind (if he is in the game). It's important that Pot limit Omaha rules state the limit of the possible maximum bet or raise.

After the betting, the fourth card (turn) is laid out on the board. The actions of the players pass again, and the last community card (river) appears. The final round of betting is underway. If more than one player claims the pot, then a showdown begins: the combinations are compared and the winner gets the pot.
How to Determine the Winning Combination
If you are already familiar with the rules of hold'em, you can quickly learn how to play Omaha poker. The combinations in these games are identical, but players must use their two pocket cards to make them.
For a better understanding, let's take an example:
Player 1: K♥Q♥J♦9♦
Player 2: A♥10♣5♣4♦
Board: 10♥5♥4♥7♥3♦
Player 1 wins with a king-high flush of hearts, Player 2 has two pairs of tens and fives. Player 2 loses: he has an ace of hearts, but he doesn’t have another heart as a pocket card.

The game of Omaha is sometimes referred to as “the nuts poker”. The reason for this is simple: most often at showdown, very strong hands win, that is, the so-called nuts, which are much more difficult to collect in hold'em.
Common Features of Omaha and Holdem
What is Omaha poker? This game is sometimes called four-card hold'em, from which we can safely conclude that these formats have many similarities. So let's start with the commonalities of these poker disciplines, and then see how they are still different.
They have similar rules:
- Before the betting rounds, players are dealt starting hands. After that, two participants place SB and BB;
- Each hand has four stages, namely preflop, flop, turn and river;
- The betting round consists of four stages. In each betting round, the participant is offered the following options: fold, bet, raise, call, check;
- The pot is awarded to the participant who is left alone in the hand, or who owns the strongest combination and shows it after the showdown;
- The combinatorics for determining the champion is similar (the list of possible combinations is the same).
Main Differences Between Disciplines
Now let's move on to the important question “How is Omaha poker different?”.
Number of cards
At the very beginning of the game, the participants have a different number of cards: two cards in Texas poker and four in Omaha. Of course, the chance of making a good combination in Omaha is much higher, since the more cards you have, the more likely you are to have something strong at your disposal. However, it should be borne in mind that your rivals also have the same prospects.
Combination formation
A new player can ask the question “How many cards can you use in Pot Limit Omaha?”. In all types of Omaha, you need to use two cards from your pocket and three cards from the board. In the disciplines that we are comparing, any combination includes five cards, namely a combination of both pocket cards and common ones. But in hold'em you can use one card from your hands and four from the board, or even all five cards from the board, and for Omaha it's more strict.
Bet structure
Both Hold'em and Omaha have different varieties depending on the betting structure. It can be no-limit, limit, pot-limit or fixed limit. However, some games are very popular among players, while others are almost never played. If we talk about hold'em, then the most common option is, of course, no-limit hold'em. And if we talk about Omaha, then this, of course, is pot limit variant or PLO.
The power of combinations
Many players like the betting structure in hold'em, which is why they prefer this particular discipline. However, Omaha poker has one feature that makes it easier to make a good hand, since the presence of 4 cards allows you to make a strong poker hand much more often.
This feature fills Omaha with exciting action, here the action is richer and more vivid. Participants play the post-flop stage more often and do not consider folding. This is because such players are unaware of the relative strength of their cards.
For example, a hand with two aces preflop is considered a strong hand in hold'em, whereas in an Omaha card game, the other two hole cards are more important. It is worth noting that the AA hand is much stronger in Hold'em than the AAxx hand in Omaha. Therefore, inexperienced players overplay with such cards in Omaha, creating the very bright action.
The importance of postflop and playstyle
There is one more peculiarity of playing Omaha: it is difficult to determine the favorite on the preflop. Suppose you have a strong hand, but even in this state of affairs, the probability of coming out ahead against one opponent will be only 65%. After the flop, the game will gain momentum. The bets increase, and the size of the pot on the turn and river will be significantly larger than the size of the previous bets. It follows that Omaha is more of a post-flop game.
So, how to play Omaha poker? It is recommended to use a tight style of play in Omaha, because the nut hands are the "protagonists" in this discipline. A strong middle hand does not guarantee you success. Pre-flop and post-flop, it's better to play it safe if you don't want to pay big money for mistakes.
The importance of bluffing
Many people try to figure out which disciplines are harder to bluff. Omaha comes first here because a weak or mediocre hand doesn't fold as often as it can improve to a good hand. But fans of Texas hold'em will more often be inclined to get rid of cards that did not hit the flop. Thus, these players are more vulnerable to bluffing.
Game difficulty level
There are still disputes about the degree of complexity of the compared disciplines. It can be said that no-limit Omaha is much more difficult than no-limit hold'em, and as for playing PLO, it is more difficult to draw a final conclusion here.
Many players do not take full advantage of the range of possible bet sizes, and it will be much more difficult for a beginner to play Omaha. We can understand how two cards interact with the flop in hold'em, but when it comes to four cards, things get more complicated. For a beginner, combinations can seem too confusing, and it can be difficult to figure them out. You may miss the combination, or you may think that you have it, making a mistake when choosing the right cards.
Omaha poker hands formation is one of the reasons why hold'em remains number one in the world of poker. Learning the rules of hold'em and ranking hands is easy, but in Omaha it's much more difficult. Some players like the extra difficulty, while others have trouble with it.
Types and Varieties of the Game
Types according to bet structure:
- Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)
The most popular format. According to pot limit Omaha rules, the maximum bet is limited by the size of the existing pot. For example, if there is $10 in the pot on the flop, if no one has shown aggression before you, then you can make a pot-sized bet of $10.
- Fixed Limit Omaha
The size of bets is limited. For example, a game at a $10/$20 limit. The minimum bet is $10 and the maximum bet is $20. The blinds in this game will be $5/$10. You can bet the maximum on the turn and river. In our example it is $20 and the raise is $40. Omaha fix limit implies the maximum number of re-raises (cap). The most common limit is three re-raises, but some rooms have a cap of four re-raises.
- No Limit Omaha
In this format, the player can place all of their chips in the center of the table on any of the trading streets. Unlike hold'em, this format is not as popular.
There are several common variations of the game of Omaha, and each of them has its own peculiarities in the rules. Let's take a quick look at the main varieties, in addition to the usual 4-card format.
5 Card Omaha
Five-card Omaha, as you can easily guess, differs from the usual only in the number of hole cards (there are five of them instead of four). The appearance of an additional card in hand greatly complicates the strategy of the game. The main reason for this is the dramatic increase in the number of unique starters (starting hands).
By building a combination, everything remains the same: we use two hole cards out of five in hand, plus three cards on the board.
Omaha 6 Cards
Omaha 6 cards: here, players receive as many as six cards in their hands, and five more cards still appear on the board. The innovator room that offered its players such a game option is PokerStars, it happened in 2020. Again, poker players can only use two cards from their hole cards, and such a game is played exclusively in the PLO format.
Omaha Hi-Lo (Omaha 8)
Here the highest and lowest combination wins (the lowest must be in the range from ace to eight). If in the five-card and six-card variants the main (and practically the only) difference is one or two additional pocket cards, then Omaha Hi Lo poker can be safely called a separate game with its own characteristics and unique strategy. This format is also sometimes called "Omaha 8" or "Omaha 8 or better".
Courchevel Omaha
Courchevel poker is a variation of five-card Omaha. Its main feature is that preflop players see one community card, in addition to their 5 hole cards. After a round of preflop betting, two more cards are dealt, which finally form the flop, and then (turn and river) are dealt without changes.
The rules for playing Courchevel poker are quite simple if you have already played the regular variant. The only difference from the five-card format is the very first card of the flop, which is opened to all players at the preflop stage. This affects the strategy and the choice of starting hands for the game. By the way, Courchevel can also be played in hi-lo format.
Poker Rooms to Play Omaha Poker

The following are the terms and conditions of the "£20 Bonus Package Promotion" (the "Promotion") for www.888poker.com (the “Site”). The Promotion is organized by 888 UK Limited.
This Promotion is an ongoing Promotion, currently without an end date, we will provide reasonable notice of when the Promotion is to come to an end (the “Promotion Period”).
888poker may cancel, modify or suspend the promotion, and any of the bonuses or benefits offered hereunder, where required for security reasons, to comply with applicable law or regulation, due to abuse or otherwise where the promotion is not capable of being conducted as specified as a result of exceptional circumstances. Other than where necessary to prevent fraud or other similar unlawful behavior, any such modification, suspension or cancellation will not apply to you if you have already opted into the promotion, made a deposit in expectation of receipt of a bonus or other benefits offered, and/or commenced play in relation to the promotion, bonus or special offer prior to the date of the communication of the modification, suspension or cancellation.
No-one under the age of 18 may participate in the Promotion and the Promotion is only available to eligible members located in the UK.
You may be asked at any stage to provide us with a proof of age and/or identity.
You may only enter this Promotion once.
For security and verification purposes, we reserve the right to limit participation in this Promotion to: (i) one per household; (ii) one per computer terminal; or (iii) one per mobile device.
During their engagement period and for a period of 24 months thereafter, none of our officers, directors, employees, consultants or agents or any other company within our group of companies or our suppliers, vendors or white label partners are permitted to participate in the Promotion, nor is any supplier or vendor. This restriction also applies to relatives of such persons and for this purpose 'relative' means any of a spouse, partner, parent, child or sibling.
If you have a pending message on the Site’s cashier regarding your recent gaming activity, we reserve the right to revoke your eligibility to participate and/or continue to participate in this promotion. In such event, any bonus and/or other benefit which you have received and/or are eligible to receive under this promotion, shall be forfeited by you.
The Promotion is a new registration offer with the Site and completely replaces any similar registration offer with the Site.
All bonuses and promotional offers, and any winnings generated through the wagering of either of the aforesaid, will be cancelled at withdrawal if any of the applicable conditions have not been met in full.
You hereby agree to these terms and conditions which govern the Promotion, along with the "User Agreement" which includes but is not limited to the "Bonus Policy".
Withdrawing funds your deposit balance (otherwise known as “Transaction Balance” in our Withdrawal Policy) is available for withdrawal at any time. General withdrawal terms apply, for further info see our Withdrawal Policy.
In order to meet the applicable wagering requirement, no real money shall be deemed to contribute (in full or in part) to the wagering requirement, unless otherwise specified by us.
Available funds will always be used before Restricted Funds (to include Money transferred) and the balance of both will be displayed in your My Account
Promotion
You may only participate in the Promotion, if you have not previously registered with the Site. If you benefit from this Promotion you will not be eligible to benefit from any other first deposit bonus or first deposit offer with the Site. If you have benefited from another first deposit offer with the Site you are not eligible to benefit from this Promotion.
You may not combine this registration offer with any other type of registration offer provided by the Site.
In order to be eligible and receive the Tournament Tickets (as defined below) granted under the Promotion, during the Promotion Period: (i) you must either download the 888poker client on PC or mobile application or click ‘Instant Play’ on the English non-download version of the Site; (ii) open a new user account with the Site; and (iii) verify his/her e-mail address by clicking on a link within the e-mail body or by SMS to the phone number entered within 14 days of the Site sending the email to you, otherwise the bonus offer will expire and you shall forfeit the bonus offer.".
Under the terms of this Promotion, eligible players will be entitled to receive £20 worth bonus (granted in USD at equivalent value of USD 25 in accordance with the Exchange Rate as defined in the User Agreement referenced above) that will be given as Tournament Tickets, according to the following allocation: 50 tickets of $0.1buy-in and 20 tickets of $1 buy-in.
Once claimed, Tournament Tickets will be granted in batches as follows:
First batch worth $5 (10 tickets of $0.1buy-in and 4 tickets of $1buy in) will be granted following your fulfilment of point 3 above.
Second batch worth $10 (20 tickets of $0.1buy-in and 8 tickets of $1buy in) will be granted 3 days after the bonus was claimed.
Third batch worth $10 (20 tickets of $0.1buy-in and 8 tickets of $1buy in) will be granted 7 days after the bonus was claimed.
If you don’t use the Tournament Tickets granted under the Promotion within 24 hours of being credited to your account, such Tournament Tickets shall expire and you shall forfeit each of such Tournament Tickets.
Tournament Tickets
A Tournament Ticket possesses a fixed value and may only be used in tournaments that have a buy-in equal to that of the value of the Tournament Ticket. For the avoidance of doubt, Tournament Tickets may not be used as a buy-in for a tournament where the buy-in is less than the value of a Tournament Ticket.
A Tournament Ticket can’t be used by a player to re-buy chips or to add chips to his/her stack during a tournament.
Tournament Tickets may not be: (i) exchanged or converted into cash; (ii) joined together to create a higher value ticket; or (iii) transferred by a player to another player.
For further terms and conditions in relation to the use of Tournament Tickets, please see our Bonus Policy.


1. Players must be aged 18 and above to participate in this promotion.
2. Welcome Bonus and Honeymoon promotion for new players only over a limited period .
3. Welcome Bonus only available to new players that make an initial deposit. The minimum deposit necessary to obtain a matched bonus is $10, or if a player chooses the $100 in rewards the minimum deposit necessary is $20.
4. $50 Free Play offer made up of $52.50 in free All-In Or Fold SNG tickets from Welcome Bonus and $2.50 in free tickets from Daily Freebie.
5. Free tickets automatically credited to eligible players’ accounts over a six day period.
6. A 100% matched deposit bonus worth a maximum of $600 can be claimed by players selecting ‘Match Bonus’ when making their first deposit(s) over a limited period.
7. Bonus cash is released at a rate of $1 for every $5 paid in net rake/tournament fees.
GGPoker standard rules apply. Play responsibly. www.begambleaware.org.


100% First Deposit Bonus
Make your first-ever real money deposit using the bonus code ‘STARS600’, and we will give you a 100% bonus up to $600. To claim the full value of the bonus, you can make up to three qualifying deposits in 60 days.
Alternatively, deposit using code ‘THIRTY’ and claim $30 of free play.
How the 100% First Deposit Bonus works
Once you’ve made your deposit, you need to earn redemption points by playing real money games. Unless stated otherwise, you will earn 5 redemption points for every USD $1 you pay in rake or tournament fees (6.5 points per £1, 4 points per CAD $1, or 5.5 points per EUR €1).
Every time you reach 180 redemption points we’ll credit your Stars Account with $10 cash. You have four months after each qualifying deposit to earn all the redemption points needed to release your bonus.
You may only take advantage of one of our first deposit offers, but may be eligible for further deposit bonuses open to existing players. You can view any bonuses you have, alongside information on expiry dates, redemption point requirements and more, under the ‘My Stars’ menu.
Please note that redemption points will not be earned at pot-limit or no-limit tables with blinds of $5/$10 or higher, 8-game tables with stakes of $20/$40 or higher, or other limit games with stakes of $20/$40 or higher.

FAQ
No, this is contrary to the rules for building combinations in Omaha rules. Each player can use only two cards from their pocket cards, and there are no exceptions to this.
In the most popular variant of this game, each player receives 4 pocket cards. The five-card Omaha format is also quite common. There is also a 6 hole card option, however it is very hard to find.
There are two main differences between these poker disciplines. First: the number of pocket cards (there are always two in Hold'em, usually 4 in Omaha). The second difference concerns the formation of combinations during the game. This is described in more detail in our material.