Omaha Poker Rules

Omaha Hi-Lo (Eight or Better)

In Omaha Hi-Lo the pot is split between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand. It is played both fixed limit and pot limit.

• A low hand qualifies if it has five different ranks of 8 or lower. Aces count low, and straights and flushes do not count against a low, so A-2-3-4-5 (the wheel) is the best low there is.
• The two-card rule applies to the low as well. You can use two different hole cards for your high and your low hand.
• If no hand qualifies for low, the best high hand wins the whole pot.
• Ties split their half. If two players share the best low, each takes a quarter of the pot.

A low is only possible when the board shows at least three different ranks from ace to eight. That happens on 60.1% of boards, so on roughly four boards in ten no low is possible and the best high hand takes the whole pot.

Omaha Strategy Basics

Hands run closer together. With four cards each, nobody is far ahead before the flop. A♠ A♥ K♠ K♥, the strongest starting hand in pot-limit Omaha, wins only about 61% of the time against J♣ 10♦ 9♣ 8♦, and about 78% against a weak hand such as 7♣ 7♦ 3♥ 2♠. (Figures from 30,000 simulated boards for each matchup.)

Play hands that work together. The best Omaha starting hands have all four cards contributing: high pairs, connected cards for straights, and two suits for flushes. A card that connects with none of the others (a “dangler”) weakens the hand.

Aim for the best possible hand. Because everybody has six two-card combinations, strong hands are common at showdown. A flush that is not the highest possible flush, or a straight that can be beaten by a higher one, loses more often than it would in Hold’em.

Mind the pot limit. You cannot move all in at any time, so big pots build over several streets. Plan your bets with the next street in mind.

Other Omaha Games

• Five-card Omaha (PLO5): five hole cards instead of four, still using exactly two.
• Six-card Omaha: six hole cards, exactly two used, and even stronger hands at showdown.
• Big O: five-card Omaha played hi-lo.
• Courchevel: five hole cards, and the first card of the flop is dealt face up before the pre-flop betting.

Omaha Poker Terms

• Double-suited: a starting hand with two cards of one suit and two of another.
• Dangler: a hole card that does not work with the other three.
• Nuts: the best possible hand on the current board.
• Rundown: four connected cards, such as 9-8-7-6.
• Scoop: winning both halves of a hi-lo pot.
• Wrap: a straight draw with many outs, made possible by holding several connected cards.

Learn More Poker

If you are new to community-card poker, start with the poker rules guide, which covers Texas Hold’em from the deal to the showdown, then try the Texas Hold’em strategy page. If you play for real money, set a budget first and stick to it. Free, confidential support is available at BeGambleAware.org. 18+ only.

Omaha poker: frequently asked questions

Although Omaha is a great game to play, some players may find it difficult to understand at the beginning. They will surely have a lot of questions when starting out. Because of that, the most frequently asked questions about Omaha are shown below.