How to Play Omaha Poker Game | PLO & Hi-Lo Rules Explained

The word Omaha comes from the city name Omaha, Nebraska, from the United States. But the literal meaning of Omaha was not clear to anyone. Omaha poker is very popular in that area of the United States and that’s why it may be named after that. It’s a variant of other community card games like 5 Card Stud or Texas Holdem.

It’s like Texas holdem, but there is a slight difference between them. The game originated in the 20th century and it’s not as popular as Texas poker. The basic gameplay is the same as Texas but there is a slight difference in hole card number that makes it different from other games like 3 card poker and 7 card stud. You can play this game from WSOP.com and for playing online you will need WSOP Free Chips.

Difference between Omaha and Texas Holdem

There are 3 major differences in the gameplay of Omaha. We will discuss it one by one. But first you need to understand Poker Hands Rankings and Poker Terms.

Hole cards:

In Omaha, each player is given 4 hole cards ( instead of two as in Texas). But only two of these cards are allowed to make the best possible hands.

Community Cards:

There are 5 community cards face up in the centre of the table. To win the pot, a player has to use his cards and make a combination that is strongest to beat his opponents.

Hand Formation:

Players are obliged to use two of their hole cards from 4 and 3 community cards from 5 to make the best possible 5-card hand.

Omaha Poker Rules/ Basic gameplay:

There are 5 steps/poker rules of this gameplay. Let’s take a deep dive into it.

Pre-flop: It’s the first round of betting, and each player is given 4 hole cards.
Flop: The 2nd round of betting and table is covered with 3 community cards with face up.
Turn: The 3rd round of betting and another card added to the table called the Turn.
River: Final round of the betting and the last card( 5th) added to the table with a face up called the River.
Showdown: If there are 2 or more than 2 players left on the table, then a showdown occurs, and the best 5-card hand is determined.

Betting Types:

There are 3 types of betting in Omaha. Before playing the game, you should know all the types of betting and Poker rules.

Pot Limit Omaha Betting:

In this type, a player can bet the maximum amount that should be equivalent to the sum of chips in the pot. It’s risky during the final rounds of the betting, like the River or Showdown.

No Limit Betting:

In this type, a player can bet whatever he wants. It just depends upon your bank/money/chips. You can raise the bet at any time on the table.

Fixed Limit Betting:

In this type of betting, a player can raise the bet 4 times and that should be equal to the blind. It’s a cheap way of betting and players can sustain more time in the game.

Game Modes:

Two modes are popular in Omaha. These are Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi/Lo.

Omaha Hi:

To win the pot, the highest hand is the price to do it. To win the table, a player should have two highest hole cards from the 4 and 3 highest community cards from 5, and the combination of these should make the highest 5 card hand.

Omaha Hi/Lo/Omaha 8:

It is also called Omaha 8 or Better. As the name indicates, the poker pot is divided into two parts: the highest and the lowest. In this game, a player who has both the highest and lowest hand wins the table.

How to play Omaha Poker ?

When you understand all the rules and hands of Omaha, then it will be easy for you to play Omaha either online or with your hard-earned money. I will make it easy for you to understand how to play it and make your own poker strategy.

When you join the table, each player receives 4 hole cards.
Then, 3 cards appear on the table called community cards, and it is the 2nd round of betting. Players bet according to the rules of poker/Omaha.
Now, the 4th card appears on the table called the Turn. And this is the 3rd round of betting. Betting rules will be the same.
Then the last card appeared on the table called the River. This is the final round of betting.
If there are two or more than two players in the last round of betting, then a Showdown occurs, and the best 5-card hand wins the pot.

Where To Play Omaha Online?

You can play Omaha online with one of the best apps called WSOP. This app provides you with many different poker games where you can practice and sharpen your skills. They organise different tournaments where you can participate and win the money. WSOP results were officially shown on their website after the tournament.

PLO Calculator:

PLO means Pot Limit Omaha. Plo calculator is a tool where you can calculate the possibility of your winning by the combination of your hole cards and community cards.

Examples of PLO calculators are Equilab, Flopzilla, and PokerStove.

Conclusion

By going through this article you will have nothing left about the Omaha game. Learn the rules, tips and tricks, gameplay and hands of Omaha and understand it completely. Now, you can practice on any online platform where you can show your skills that puzzled your opponents. Now, this game is outdated, but still old players loved to play this with the same enthusiasm.

FAQ’s

Yes, Omaha is generally considered harder than Holdem because each player got 4 hole cards, and that’s why starting hands increased, so the decision-making becomes difficult.

The best hand in Omaha is the Royal flush, which is A, K, Q, J, and 10, all with the same suit. It is an unbeatable hand. Other strong hands are straight flush and four of a kind.

All in means when you bet all of your chips/money. There are two scenarios of this: one is when the player on your right side goes all in, then you have two options: either to fold or go all in, and the other situation is when you are confident, then you can bet your all chips /money and go all in.

How to Play Omaha Poker Game | PLO & Hi-Lo Rules Explained