Along with the rise in this Omaha Poker fame came also the rise and incredible popularization of the more attractive Omaha, which ranks presently the second most famous globally spread version of poker, with its inevitable growth as far as Omaha is a very intellectually intriguing strategic game.
Players who are experienced or acquainted with Texas Hold’em easily adapt to Omaha Poker because Omaha takes a lot after it from Texas Hold’em regarding similarity. Let’s delve a little deeper with JiliAce into how Omaha Poker is played and what makes it so popular worldwide.
The rules of Omaha are the same as Texas Hold’em Poker. If you know how Hold’em works, you’ll have no problem playing Omaha. For details on these basics, see the previous guide. Here we’ll cover the differences and what makes Omaha so unique.
After you understand the basic procedures of selecting the button, posting blinds, and betting, let’s go to some advanced tips that will get you through mastering Omaha.
Basic Omaha Poker You Need to Master

Like other poker games, Omaha also uses a standard 52-card deck, consisting of 4 suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. Each suit contains 13 cards, from 2 to Ace.
Cards Dealt
The hole cards, or dealt cards, are crucial in Omaha, just like in Texas Hold’em. In Texas Hold’em, each player receives 2 hole cards, but in Omaha, each player gets 4 hole cards.
Doubling the number of hole cards means that reading opponents’ hands becomes more challenging, and your opponents will find it harder to read yours. The key is that having more cards in hand creates more possible combinations, which makes Omaha much more dynamic and exciting.
How to Make a Hand
In Omaha Poker, players can choose any 5 cards from the 7 available (5 community cards and 2 hole cards) to create the strongest hand. This can sometimes lead to situations where you use none or just 1 of your hole cards because the community cards are strong enough to form a winning hand.
However, in Omaha, this situation doesn’t occur. In Omaha, you must always use exactly 2 of your 4 hole cards, combined with 3 of the 5 community cards, to make your best 5-card hand. This rule is both interesting and often needs to be clarified for new players.
Key Differences Between Omaha and Hold’em
- Hole Cards: At the start of each hand, each player receives 4 hole cards, compared to only 2 in Omaha Poker. After the 5 community cards are revealed on the table, you must use exactly 2 of your 4 hole cards to combine with 3 of the community cards to form the best 5-card hand.
- Dealer Position: In every hand, there is one player acting as the Dealer, indicated by a small round button. Usually, this player shuffles and deals the cards. However, when playing online poker, you don’t need to handle the cards; the dealer position simply determines who posts the blinds and who acts first in each betting round.
- Community Cards: A total of 5 community cards are dealt on the table over 4 betting rounds: 3 cards in the Flop, 1 card in the Turn, and 1 card in the River.
- Actions: The actions in Omaha are the same as in Hold’em. In each betting round, players can choose to check, call, bet, raise, or fold.
How to Win a Hand
To win an Omaha hand, you either need to have the strongest hand at showdown or force all your opponents to fold before the showdown.
Hand Rankings
The hand rankings in Omaha are the same as in Omaha Poker. The ranking from strongest to weakest is as follows
The Sequence of an Omaha Poker Game
Blinds Placement:
The two players to the left of the Dealer position place the blinds as per the rules. The first player to the left of the Dealer places the small blind, and the next player places the big blind. For example, in a Pot Limit Omaha game with stakes of 1000 Pesos to 2000 Pesos, the small blind is 1000 Pesos, and the big blind is 2000 Pesos.
Dealing the Cards:
Each player receives four hole cards, which remain hidden from other players. Betting rounds then commence.
First Betting Round – Pre-Flop:
The player immediately to the left of the big blind acts first. They have the options to fold, call, or raise. The action proceeds clockwise around the table, with each player taking their turn. A betting round concludes when:
- All players have had a chance to act.
- The bet amounts of all active players (those who have not folded) are equal.
Second Betting Round – Flop:
The first three community cards are revealed at the center of the table. A new betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the Dealer. This player may check or bet. The action proceeds clockwise, following the same rules as the previous round.
Third Betting Round – Turn:
The fourth community card is revealed on the table. Remaining players engage in a new betting round, following the same rules as before. The action again starts with the first active player to the left of the Dealer.
Fourth Betting Round – River:
The fifth and final community card is revealed. Players proceed with the final betting round, adhering to the established rules. The first active player to the left of the Dealer acts first.
Showdown:
If two or more players remain after the four betting rounds, they reveal their hands to determine the winner. The player with the strongest five-card combination wins the pot. If hands are tied, the pot is evenly split among the winners.
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Conclusion
This guide to playing Omaha Poker aims to help you understand the gameplay and rules of this exciting variant. While Omaha Poker may appear similar to Texas Hold’em, the key differences lie in the number of hole cards and how hands are formed. These distinctions create a unique gameplay experience, requiring a strategy distinct from Hold’em. At JiliAce, we hope this guide enhances your understanding and enjoyment of Omaha Poker.